East facing West facing Well, it's mostly finished. There is more to come.
A Box of Rocks
A few weeks before Eli died, we were at This is the Place for Eli's leatherworking apprenticeship. While there, we decided to go to one of the gift shops. Eli chose to buy a geode. Later, when we were home, I helped him hit it with a hammer to expose the crystals inside. I really …
So what about…?
I know you all are wondering about Eli's headstone. Yes, we ordered it December of 2021, a few weeks after he died. We bought enough plots for Eli, Adam, and me, so we bought a headstone for the three of us to share. The style we chose is less common, so the monument company didn't …
Remembering
One of the things I worry about is remembering how Eli sounds or looks or all the moments I spent with him throughout his life. In fact, that is one of the reasons I keep this blog. Holidays can be difficult for various reasons. I wasn't sure how this one would feel. It's had its …
Thanksgiving
I am often puzzled when people express gratitude for something bad that has happened to them or their loved ones. They might say something like, "I learned so much from [insert challenging experience here], and I am grateful it happened because I am a stronger person because of it." Well, I'm not grateful for Eli's …
Miracles, Coincidences, and Other Disasters
Dear Eli, You'll be happy to know the house didn't burn down today. Ella was hanging out in your workshop, which, if you recall, gets its electricity via an outdoor rated extension cord running to an outlet on the outside of the house. She was cold, so she turned on a portable heater. She was …
Continue reading Miracles, Coincidences, and Other Disasters
Deathversary
Dear Eli, I totally don't know what to call it. Death day? Death Anniversary? We were calling it your graduation, since you graduated from this life, but graduation anniversary doesn't seem right, either. So, when it comes up, we just call it the 17th. [One cousin who read this post uses "angelversary", which is a …
Halloween
Dear Eli, I think you would have enjoyed our efforts to remember you on Halloween. We set up a skeleton, with glow sticks and a candy bowl, at your gravesite so people could trick-or-treat there. That evening, we went to trick-or-treat and saw another group there taking pictures and trick-or-treating. We exchanged a few words …
Seasons
Grief is a constant companion. It is always there. I can be distracted from it. I can ignore it. I can even hide from it, but I can't get rid of it, nor do I want to. Grief reminds me that my son exists. When Eli's biopsy four years ago today came back positive for …
FanX
Dear Eli, The other night, Daddy and I got home from our date with the Hathcocks. Your little sisters were still awake and wouldn't go to sleep without a story. Well, I definitely had a story to tell. This is what I told them: Once upon a time (all good stories start like this), a …
Eli The Boss 