Joy

Just July

Last week, on the first of July, my neighbor Tracy surprised me with this vase of flowers. With it was a handwritten note praising my...

Jul 8, 20242 min read

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

Auld Lang Syne-Off

It’s been ten loooong days since I returned home from Scotland. While there, I saw more beauty than I could process. But part of what...

Mar 26, 20242 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

What a season!

“What a fun season!” I thought last night as my head hit the pillow. I felt satisfied despite the end of the Braves’ playoff run. But...

Oct 13, 20231 min read

Oh my cornhole

I sustained an injury at the gym in 2009. I wasn’t doing anything crazy — just changing into workout attire. As I lowered my arm from...

Jun 26, 20232 min read

Field of dreams

Ramón and I took a two-week RV trip in 2018. We'd talked about doing it since we got married, so it was our belated honeymoon in a sense....

Jun 9, 20233 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

Woe to the child (birthday edition)

You know that ol’ medieval European saying, "Woe to the child who tastes salty from a kiss on the brow, for he is cursed and soon will...

May 3, 20234 min read

Mental hodgepodge

You know how Jeopardy! has a “Hodgepodge” category? This post might be similar. Blogpodge? Sometimes I sit down to write with a specific...

Mar 10, 20233 min read

Join the Inspiration Parade!

Today is the first day of Creativity March! You're probably thinking, "What is Creativity March?" I'll tell you. Creativity March was...

Mar 1, 20231 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

On the right track

This is one of my favorite photos from 2022, taken in November. Yes, it’s a selfie, but this was a moment I wanted to capture. I felt so...

Feb 4, 20233 min read

Rain, rain, you can stay [a while]

Nothing quite brings me to life like the feeling before a thunderstorm — as the wind picks up and electricity builds in the air. I've...

Jan 12, 20233 min read

Simple + Deliberate

I get totally jazzed about the start of a new year, and I don’t care who knows it. Does that mean I’ll actually stay up until the clock...

Dec 30, 20223 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

A flight of imagination

I have a complicated relationship with airplanes. I was once headed to NYC for a work trip and had an awful asthma attack. I was gasping...

Nov 25, 20223 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

Trial and error

When I took my first dose of Trikafta in March 2019, I felt, as the pills slid down my throat, that my life might be changing. And change...

Jul 13, 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

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.

Girl Drew