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Happy Birthday, Dirty Ramón
Today I feel your presence in the rustling leaves and chirping birds. I taste your appreciation in the Blizzard I got in honor of your...
May 7, 20242 min read
At therapy this morning...
"At therapy this morning" seems like a quick, somewhat cheap way to capture someone's attention. But it just so happens to be an accurate...
Apr 3, 20242 min read
2.7 seconds on a bull named Fu Manchu
Little memories of Ramón pop into my mind on an almost daily basis. Occasionally, though, one will surface from the darkest depths of my...
Feb 1, 20243 min read
Zip it good
Did you know some zippers lock when the pull tab is in the down position? In other words, after zipping, you place the tab down to lock...
Nov 2, 20232 min read
Judge Ramón Alvarado ’05
I type this with tears in my eyes. They’re mostly droplets of gratitude that I had the immense pleasure of spending almost a decade of my...
Oct 26, 20232 min read
Bursting bubbles (in a good way)
I'd never heard of H Mart when I met Ramón in 2011, but it soon became an integral part of our relationship. H Mart is a Korean grocery...
Sep 8, 20232 min read
I kissed an electric toothbrush last night
Last night I kissed an electric toothbrush as I told it goodbye. Weird, I know. Ramón got the toothbrush a few days before he was...
Aug 23, 20232 min read
44
Ramón’s 37th birthday fell on a Saturday, so we got to spend the entire day together. I told him we could do whatever he wanted. His...
May 7, 20232 min read
My grief shoes
Flat feet and hospital floors don’t mesh. When I moved into the hospital after Ramón’s cardiac arrest in spring of 2020, my flat feet...
Apr 7, 20232 min read
Don't put the pity in serendipity (a grief no-no)
When you’ve lost a loved one, certain dates are etched in your mind. The big milestones are impossible to forget, but other, less...
Feb 16, 20233 min read
Season's Grievings
It’s the most wonderful time of year.* *but not for everyone I’ve intended to write this post for weeks now, but I’ve struggled with...
Dec 7, 20222 min read
La mademoiselle Megan
When I met Megan, she was holding a box of donuts. It was March 2021, and we were standing in my parents’ driveway, leery of COVID-19....
Oct 26, 20226 min read
27 months
"Today's date is the 20th," the poll worker announced this morning as I completed paperwork to vote in Georgia's (very important)...
Oct 20, 20222 min read
I hugged a sign.
I hugged a sign last weekend, and it hugged me back. It’s official! At this very moment, cars are driving over the Judge Ramón Alvarado...
Oct 5, 20223 min read
Remembering Ramón
I think we’ve all had the same pressing question lately: How do I live a life that's so amazing they name a bridge after me? Just...
Sep 22, 20221 min read
Stories of Grief: Drew Dotson
After losing Ramón, I began connecting with other widows on Instagram. (See? Social media has some benefits!) I stumbled upon the Forced...
Sep 12, 20221 min read
One step at a time
“Here,” an ICU nurse said as she handed me Ramón’s Fitbit. He’d just been situated in the ICU after his cardiac arrest. While they were...
Aug 16, 20222 min read
A joyful heart
When I sit down to write something grief related, I occasionally feel a twinge of worry. I’m concerned that by continuing to document my...
Jul 1, 20222 min read
![[updated] Yes, I want a Fanta (Fanta). *tears*](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/031aef_9e0ede87f6744ed2aa610f48c1603f9a~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_1336,h_1000,fp_0.50_0.50,q_30,blur_30,enc_avif,quality_auto/031aef_9e0ede87f6744ed2aa610f48c1603f9a~mv2.jpg)
![[updated] Yes, I want a Fanta (Fanta). *tears*](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/031aef_9e0ede87f6744ed2aa610f48c1603f9a~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_1128,h_844,fp_0.50_0.50,q_90,enc_avif,quality_auto/031aef_9e0ede87f6744ed2aa610f48c1603f9a~mv2.jpg)
[updated] Yes, I want a Fanta (Fanta). *tears*
The original post has been updated below. It's no secret that I write a lot about grief — it's been a significant part of my life. Today,...
Jun 21, 20223 min read
Circle back around
This beautiful ring used to adorn my husband's hand, but now it’s in the bottom drawer of my bedside table. When Ramón was going into the...
Jun 16, 20222 min read
Gallery
My name is Drew Dotson, and my life has been anything but perfect, yet it's still perfectly beautiful. After growing up with a genetic disease, cystic fibrosis, I was blessed to meet an amazing man who loved me without bounds. Then he died.
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