live like that
There’s a track posted on this site – a theme song of sorts for Live Like Tyler. In Live Like That, by Sidewalk Prophets, the songwriter poses questions about how his life will be recalled after he’s gone. He is inspired to live the way he wants to be remembered:...
let my song join the one
This past Easter was a challenge for me. My husband had to work, my daughter and her family were visiting relatives out of state, and my local family all had plans. So I was going to church alone. I still struggle with Easter because in 2012 it fell just days after...
ebbing echoes
It’s just a pond in a bucolic setting. Except that it isn’t. This is the pond I’ve commuted past daily for seven years, four of those years with Tyler as my driving companion. For some reason, this pond was a topic of conversation each time we passed by. We’d remark...
beauty for ashes
There’s a stretch of road I travel on my way home from work. Sometimes I hit it just right, and as I round one of the final bends to our house, the setting sun seems to rest directly at the end of the road, framed by a towering silhouetted pine tree. It’s one of those...
complicated joy
Complicated grief. Ever hear of it? There is such a thing. Those who suffer complicated grief may feel guilt or responsibility related to their loss, have regrets about their relationship with the deceased, or have lost a loved one to suicide, violence, victimization...
forever fifteen
October 18th, 2014. Today will be tough. All day. Days that are so special and joyous when a person is alive are terribly painful after that person has died. It’s surreal to me that Tyler was born 18 years ago. Without the last two and a half years as a point of...
his sister
If you were loved by Tyler, you had his complete loyalty. His complete acceptance. You were more important to him than he was to himself. From his earliest days, Tyler loved his sister. Fiercely. After I had finished literally jumping up and down with unadulterated...
the day before the after
Three years ago this day, I woke up without any hint that our world was about to be shattered. It was the first day of tenth grade for Tyler. We had to be out of the house by 7:35 to go pick up Nick and head to school. I had a gazillion things on my mind. I was going...
a faded comforter
Earlier this month, Ron and I celebrated our 20th anniversary in Myrtle Beach. The first day we visited the ocean, I lay in the sand on top of our old comforter with the South Carolina sun beating down on me. As Ron went for a walk along the ocean, I lazily opened one...