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No caveat(s) needed
Today, as I sat on a bench in the backyard, I was overcome with gratitude. I admired a happy Noodle, a beautiful sky, plants in bloom,...
Jun 1, 20222 min read
Happy birthday, Your Honor!
Today this guy would have turned 43! It would have also been the three-year anniversary of his cancer diagnosis. This year, as the date...
May 7, 20221 min read
Breathe in gratitude
Today is one of the tougher grief milestones because it marks two years since Ramón's cardiac arrest. My hope for today is that I can...
Apr 19, 20224 min read
This is a shout-out to my grievers.
Where all my grievers at? Can I get a BOO-HOO? Just kidding. But if I were to craft a rap about grief, it would definitely start off like...
Apr 1, 20223 min read
A little birdie
I approached the window just in time to see half of my favorite tree topple to the ground. I stood there, mouth agape in disbelief, as I...
Mar 21, 20223 min read
A smidgen
As I sat down to write this post, I thought I’d start by saying, "I woke up to a text from Ramón’s brother-in-law, Steve." Then I...
Jan 7, 20223 min read
What were you wearing when ... ?
As I put on a hoodie this morning, I remembered it was the sweatshirt I was wearing when Ramón was diagnosed with leukemia. I didn’t...
Nov 10, 20211 min read
Ask and ye will have asked
Today marks 18 months since Ramón’s cardiac arrest. For once, that length of time aligns with how long it feels like it’s been....
Oct 19, 20213 min read
Leaves a mark
Earlier this week I let the dogs out for their nighttime pee in the drizzling rain. My dog Noodle was lollygagging around, so I tried to...
Oct 7, 20212 min read
Whether the weather is cold
Last night I was texting with one of my friends who is also a widow. (Will saying that ever feel normal?) She was having a rough day on...
Sep 2, 20213 min read
A nice ring to it
As the one-year anniversary of Ramón’s death approached, I went to a jeweler to get my engagement and wedding rings resized — an idea I’d...
Aug 10, 20214 min read
How's my happiness level?
Today, when setting up an online account, I was prompted to select a security question. The first one on the list was, “In what city or...
Jun 29, 20212 min read
That's how this works
This day last year, Ramón walked out of our house for the last time. In the days leading up to his transplant admission, he spent more...
Apr 2, 20212 min read
Sealed with an X
In the fifth year of marriage, I'd finally gotten the hang of identifying as "married" after never having envisioned that for myself. Now...
Feb 4, 20211 min read
The gossip on grief: Six months later
Grief is powerful. In fact, it's so mighty it has rendered society largely incapable of discussing it. Today marks 6 months of widowhood.
Jan 20, 20214 min read
nine years - five years - five months
Nine years ago, to the day, I met this guy for our first date. Five years ago, to the day, I married this guy. Five months ago, to the...
Dec 20, 20201 min read
Thank you for everything
A friend gifted me this leather bracelet in August. She conspired to get a sample of Ramón’s handwriting, and my mom had a note from...
Oct 24, 20202 min read
Always a rainbow
When home between hospitalizations in late March, I heard a song that resonated with me. As my anxiety about COVID-19 and transplant...
Sep 2, 20203 min read
Befores and afters
A few weeks ago, two of my long-time cohorts stopped by to enjoy drinks and conversation – and bring dinner (Yum!). My friend Amanda...
Aug 17, 20204 min read
An August of opportunity
Though I’ve been writing regularly, I haven’t posted much lately. This is mostly for good reason. For example, my friend Elaine came back...
Aug 4, 20203 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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