The life you have led doesn't need to be the only life you have. -Anna Quindlen I love that each day is a new waking, a new chance. I think God gave us 24 hours to be a constant remaking,...

 

"There are two great days in a person's life--the day we are born and the day we discover why." -William Barclay This past weekend we celebrated the 5th Annual Shawn Memorial 5K Run with over 400 participants. Each year the...

 

We will be running Saturday morning August 28th at our new location: Long Lake Regional Park in New Brighton, MN. The race begins at 8AM. I would love to have lots of running partners! Bring a friend. Lots of surprises...

 

"If you don’t stop making that face, I won't sit by you on the bus," Jordan told his little sister over lunch. "You won't?" she asked, all-trusting to her all-knowing brother. Maddi's voice held a bit of concern. All she...

 

I feel like I'm at an impasse. Soon it will be five years since Shawn's death and I am baffled at where I go from here. My kids talk about him all the time. Jordan reminded me today of when...

 

Our conversation continued today. In fact, Shawn dying feels like one long, never-ending conversation. The discussion picks up in the middle of wherever we left off, in-between making pancakes for breakfast or folding laundry or during bath time. We made...

 

I have laminated every article related to Shawn's death and put them in a wooden chest. Jordan discovered the hidden pile and asked if he could look at the photos. He had seen them before and loved the picture in...

 

There is a sign that hangs on my children's bedroom wall, "In God We Trust." I asked them to read it to me, sounding out each word and then asked them what it means. "Believe in God," Maddi said. "Believe...

 

I spoke last weekend in San Diego at a conference called Camp Widow. I was surrounded by amazingly strong women and men with amazingly strong stories. It is a humbling experience to speak for my peers and find that what...

 

My daughter is rollerblading around the kitchen island with helmet, knee pads, elbow pads, wrist guards, and a juice box in hand! Dressed in a cotton rainbow dress with pink leggings, I couldn't add more color to her if I...

 

“Every thought is a seed. If you plant crab apples, don't count on harvesting Golden Delicious.” —Bill Meyer (1892-1957); baseball manager, coach All summer long I get bit by mosquitoes. Drives me crazy. A friend suggested, "If you just think...