"From the Bay to the Blue Ridge"
By Lori Welch Brown Happy Father’s Day, Dad! Dear Dad, This is gonna be a tough one—our first Father’s Day without you. That was hard to even type without crying. I hate this so much. I hate not talking to you every day. I hate not being able to call you or hold your hand. […]
By Lori Welch Brown May is for Moms, Memories, and Moving Forward May is a bittersweet month for me. All those ads for finding that perfect Mother’s Day gift make me sad. It’s been 15 years since I’ve had the opportunity to splurge on a pair of earrings for Mom. I miss her every single […]
By Lori Welch Brown Are We There Yet? Has everyone received their vaccines? Some of you are on the fence, and I get it. It’s been a scary year, and all this pandemic stuff is unprecedented, not to mention confusing. It’s hard to know what to do, when to do it, and where to do […]
By Lori Welch Brown I don’t know about y’all, but in 2020, unbeknownst to me, I upgraded my internal worry machine to a sleek new turbo model. What a monster machine! It came with auto shut off, but it pretty much ran 24/7 and revved up with the slightest amount of fuel. One little thought, […]
Open Space By Lori Welch Brown On Valentine’s Day: Why Not Go BIG? This year calls for shaking things up, and I’m starting with Valentine’s Day. Why should the day of love be reserved for weak-kneed, liver-quivering adolescents desperate to get the attention of their first crushes? Or twenty-somethings who finally have an […]
By Lori Welch Brown The Gift of Letting Go My brothers and I laid our beloved father to rest on December 19, 2020. It was a lovely service complete with military honors and a chorus of Amazing Grace. When he died on December 10 from complications due to COVID-19, he was 19 days shy […]
Open Space By Lori Welch Brown A Holiday to Remember If Only for the Lesson in Gratitude I have to admit, I’ve experienced some pretty crappy holidays. Ghosts of Christmas’ past still haunt me. Too many years to count as a single adult vanquished to the kiddie table. The year Mom was sick, and I […]
By Lori Welch Brown Changes in Gratitude & Changes in Attitude… …Nothing remains quite the same. Gratitude has been part of my daily practice for quite some time, but this year required adding a whole new level. My list of things to be grateful for changed from things like family, friends, and wellness to medical […]
By Lori Welch Brown Stepping Out of the Twilight Zone It’s officially against the law to write about anything other than COVID, fear, and angst. I jest, but I mean what else is there? The election? No thank you. Oregon fires? Scary. RBG’s death? Depressing. Is Beth Dutton coming back next season on Yellowstone? Mind […]
By Lori Welch Brown The Long and Winding Road to September I can’t wait for 2020 to be in our rearview mirrors, but I’m almost afraid of what lurks behind Door #2021. This year has been a wild and crazy ride to our own backyards, testing facilities, Zoom meetings, etc. Personally, it seems like the […]
