memories | Drew Dotson

Pause for Joy [a rejected essay]

I submitted an essay to a publication on Tuesday. Today, two days later, I received the rejection email. (So quick!) Although it didn't...

Mar 2, 20233 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

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

I'm published!

I was embarrassed to admit I wanted to be a writer for a very long time. I was fearful of seeming unrealistic, for one, but putting my...

Oct 21, 20221 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

October 1: Save the date!

Several months ago, a *quite* special resolution was introduced to the Georgia General Assembly: HR 918: Judge Ramón Alvarado Bridge;...

Aug 22, 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

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

Down here on earth

I cut my left hand this morning. It was nothing serious, but it warranted the use of antiseptic spray. As I got the bottle out of the...

Jun 7, 20221 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

A-O-K

Several days ago, I hopped in my car to head to an appointment, and my Pandora app automatically connected to the car’s audio. I fumbled...

Feb 28, 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

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

Open doors

One day last June while I was staying in the hospital with Ramón, I decided to watch the video of his swearing in ceremony. Since he was...

Jun 3, 20211 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