Tag Archives: cancer

Downton Abbey

Posted on January 25, 2013

My mom’s 1 year death anniversary was January 4th. I was hoping it would go quickly, but sure enough, my old familiar friend, the moth-hole ridden, smelly dark overcoat of grief somehow found its’ way onto my shoulders. Through the help of great friends, family, yoga, and a spiritual community… Read On →

Posted in People | Tagged acceptance, cancer, death anniversary, Downton Abbey, fear of death, grief, Masterpiece Theater, mom, reconciliation | Leave a comment

My Other New Life: NYR Organic

Posted on September 24, 2012

It took me 6 weeks to write this post, too. I guess I came up against my own judgement wall around the “Mary Kaye” model of business ownership. My entire working career has been in sales, marketing, and customer service. Now, I finally am part of sales & business building… Read On →

Posted in Inspiration, People | Tagged brain cancer, breast cancer, business coaching, business ownership, cancer, chemical free deodorant, consultant, direct sales, empowerment, humble, natural skincare, NYR Organic, organic skincare, team building, yoga instructor | 2 Comments

The Last Few Weeks…

Posted on February 16, 2012

Well, it’s been a trip, that’s for sure. Losing my mom has been an exercise in rollercoaster riding. The ups & downs have been tremendous. Intellectually, I knew this. But until a person goes through it, sometimes the symptoms aren’t clear until they pass. My apologies, dear readers for not… Read On →

Posted in People | Tagged cancer, Colorado, Conifer, death, donation, dying, Evergreen, family abuse, forgiveness, grief, historical abuse, mother, Pine, processing grief, right action, storage locker, thrift store, truckloads | 2 Comments

Eulogy for Margarita M. Krupa, 7/16/45 – 1/4/12

Posted on January 18, 2012

If you’d like to view a complete obituary for my mom, please go to the “obituaries” link on http://www.petkusfuneralhomes.com/ and type in “Krupa” in the search field. It didn’t seem right to re-post the obit here, but many people were inspired by my eulogy speech on Sunday, so I thought I’d… Read On →

Posted in Inspiration, People | Tagged adventure, cancer, children, death, eulogy, family, fun, grandchildren, healing, laughter, life, love, memorial, mother, Parkinson's, peace, travel | 8 Comments

End of My Day – Dec. 4th, 2011

Posted on December 23, 2011

Better late than never! Finally the other half of my video blog from early December. I filmed myself at the end of the day to show how up & down the days can be here, caretaking for my mom. Now that our “Christmas” is done, with less pressure & more… Read On →

Posted in People | Tagged cancer, chicago, Christmas, feelings, girls, grief, growing up, healing, hometown, joy, mother, nieces, pain from the past, Santa, stubborn kids, trust the process | 2 Comments

Things We Take For Granted

Posted on December 16, 2011

In this season of giving, I’m unable to give my time or money to charities and community groups like I normally do. Instead, my “group” is my mom; my efforts all for her comfort. When facing someone who’s dying, the gifts I receive far outweigh any measure of comfort I… Read On →

Posted in Inspiration, People | Tagged appreciation, being present, cancer, death, dying, everyday tasks, gratitude, loss of control, mobility, mother, take for granted | 4 Comments

Open Letter to Joe Wright, Director of “Pride And Prejudice” (2005)

Posted on December 15, 2011

Facing a loved one who is dying is not for the feint of heart. Amongst my mom’s physical discomfort, delirium, and fear of death, she has managed to find what comforts her & cling to that. One of these comforts just so happens to be the film Pride and Prejudice,… Read On →

Posted in Inspiration, People | Tagged acting, cancer, caretaking, coping, death, dying, Elizabeth Bennet, Jane Austen, Joe Wright, memories, mother, Mr. Darcy, Pride And Prejudice, relief | 2 Comments

The Beginning of My Day – Dec. 4, 2011

Posted on December 11, 2011

It took me a week to edit this because there is so much going on caretaking for my mom. It doesn’t reflect how I feel today, but once I post the next video, you’ll see how each day can go here. For those of you not in the know, I… Read On →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Autumn leaves, call me, cancer, caretaker, Christmas, crying, death, dig deep, dying, emotions, film editing, folding laundry, growth, John Grisham, running, Skipping Christmas book, sleeping bag, tears | 2 Comments

Returning Home: That Old Familiar Friend

Posted on November 21, 2011

Homecoming This blog post was started in my mind about 3 dozen times. Now that I’m poised at the keyboard at Anchorage Int’l airport, poised to launch myself back to the Big Village that I was raised in, the village called The Windy City, The City of Big… Read On →

Posted in People | Tagged architecture, Bears, cancer, chicago, end of life, family, grief, love, mother, people, skyscrapers, sports | 14 Comments

Mountain Madness

Posted on October 24, 2011

Well, the time has come to get clean on the reality of my climbs, folks. Aw, geez – how do I say this? I want to climb, I really do! But two factors are making it really hard to commit: money & money. I simply don’t have $6k+ to climb… Read On →

Posted in Inspiration, Nature, Peaks | Tagged Baker, brother, cancer, Denali, Hood, memorial, motivation, mountaineering, South America, summit, teamwork | Leave a comment