Abigail Carter: the Alchemy of Loss: A Young Widow’s Transformation

I’ve been doing as many people are doing right now: getting ready to have a bunch of family descend upon them and cooking a great big feast. I like Thanksgiving a whole lot better than Christmas. For me Thanksgiving is calmer than the Christmas frenzy. And so much simpler....

I went to a reading on Sunday at Elliot Bay Books in Seattle (great independent bookstore) for a book called 1000 Mitzvahs. Linda Cohen began writing by blogging about her daily random acts of kindness – Mitzvahs – a mission she set about completing as a way of overcoming...

I’m having a Joseph Campbell-y sort of week. It started on Monday with a viewing of the documentaryFinding Joe, a reiteration of Joseph Campbell’s writings in Power of Myth and that whole “Hero’s Journey” thing. The movie (and the book) tells the story of an ancient Buddhist village that was about to...

Among the million other things I have on my plate at the moment, I am attempting to follow a seven-week course called “Calling in ‘The One’.” I mention this sheepishly, since it sounds kind of hokey. Plus, the website is all pink with lots of swirly script-type fonts, which...

Missing the moment with my iPhone The bird found himself in my room despite no doors or windows being open anywhere in the house. He flapped around the far window trying desperately to find his way out. I whispered to him. “It’s OK. Stay calm,” as I moved slowly toward...

Carter, Port Hope, July 2011 Twelve years. Such a short amount of time, and such a lot of life lived. You arrived quickly in true Carter style, determined to be early for your own arrival. Determined. I think that word describes you well. You know what you like and you...

Olivia and Millie, June 1st 2011 You asked me yesterday if I thought you would ever grow up. I told you I hoped not. You were offended, thinking I thought you were immature, but that was hardly the case. I think you are perfect. I really don’t want you to...

Perhaps I need to reconsider the rock climbing idea... Nude Rock Climber - Photographed by Peter Torsal (http://www.torsal.de/) I got an email from a recent widow yesterday expressing fear of ever having a meaningful relationship again. I was at a bit of a loss about what to tell her....

The sky is gray and I feel myself slipping back down the slope a little. I have spent too much money this month and I lie awake at night worrying about it. I worry about the kids, their grades, the amount of time they spend on the computer, worry...

I was a little worried when I heard that an 11 year-old friend of my niece’s was reading my book. What would she think? Could she possibly get anything out of a book meant for widowed moms or at the very least married adults? And yet the letter she...