He was a beautiful and gentle soul who will be sorely missed. Rudy’s final wish was that we humans could understand this simple truth. God gave us dogs so that we would have in-house instruction on how to give love without condition. His final hope was that we would continue to strive to love like a dog.
What if God sent you a Valentine? If we listen closely enough, I think he sends us a love note every single day.
Below is an email I wrote to Pastor Earl Wise on November 22, 2017. I read an article in the Boston Globe about the election in Alabama, and his words caused such an eruption of emotion in me, I had to write to him. I was not writing to talk about votes or partisanship, although I certainly have my opinions on that. Rather, I was writing because as a pastor, he is a representative of God, and those young girls he so unartfully spoke of are God’s children too.
Shortly after Stephen died, a person said those words to me. This person said, “I know you must be playing the woulda, coulda, shoulda game right now.”
Yes, it is true, someone actually said that.
My reply? “No, actually I am not. Even though I wish things could be different, I would not change the way I loved my son, nor would I expect him to have loved me any differently than he so beautifully did. If something happened to someone you love tomorrow, I hope you could say the same thing.”
Yes, I did have “that” tone when I said it. And my left eyebrow may or may not have been elevated.
You can reemerge from the winter of your life, just as the tulip. But, no matter what you’ve been through, or how hard the winter was, when you reemerge, there it is.
Crap.
Crap is a part of life. No matter how you try to change it, you will always have the balance of good and bad in life. There will always be people and situations that will hurt you, anger you, irritate, and raise your blood pressure.
The key to happiness is in how you look at it.
We stumble, we fall. Sometimes we absolutely shatter into a million pieces. But, as women do, we dust ourselves off and we stand up and continue the journey. We recognize that we are part of something larger than ourselves, and the strength of our shared stories and experiences moves us and the world forward. We look for the lessons in loss and we search for understanding and meaning.
Strong wise women.
I think we are all a little more like Nester than we might like to admit. And no, not just the ears.
We are all flawed and imperfect in some way. Each one of our lives is, in one way or another, a little broken. It is never what we envision or plan for, or what we feel we deserve.
We sometimes struggle through life carrying the ball and chain of our own perceptions. We spend most of our lives seeing what is wrong about us, neglecting to notice what is right. And then, to top it all off, sometimes, really bad things happen. People we love get sick, or even die.
But, just like Nester, I believe there is guidance and love from above all around us. We simply have to be willing to hear it, and to abide by it even when it does not make sense to us, even when we are hurting.
Today, give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he sees all day. ~Quoted in P.S. I Love You, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr. Christmas shopping. It’s just not as they portray it in the commercials. Where are the…
I wrote this piece a few years ago. It’s funny, as I continue to write, I am more aware of the fact that I get my inspiration from painting projects, washing machines, duct tape and digging in the dirt in my back yard. Simple mundane…
Sometimes the truth lies in the middle. Look in the middle of any issue and you can find common ground. The greatest threat to this nation is not terrorism, it is the quiet and deadly virus of division. Kindness is the cure, and we need to begin the treatment today
Kelly is a source of strength… a powerhouse of motivation. Her incentive to find daily happiness in Just One Little Thing is life changing.
Arlene Scott, Eastern Health
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Kelly as one of our experts on The Art Of Happiness After Loss Summit. Kelly’s warmth and genuine compassion for fellow grievers endeared her to many of our listeners’ hearts, as she not only shared her story but…
Lois McCullough, WOW For Now
I continue to give Kelly’s books to people I meet/counsel, anyone traveling through life seeking a ‘purpose..a reason’ just to live everyday. The book has become a welcomed and useful gift! Kelly’s books provide a ‘go to resource’ in my counseling practice. I use her…
Patricia Schlough, NCC,LPC,LCPC,EAGALA Advanced Certified Equine Therapist
After attending Kelly’s presentation on the ‘JOLT’ movement, I was instantly motivated to look for the small things in life that mean the most. It’s amazing how being appreciative for ‘just one little thing’ a day really opens your eyes to look for the positivity…
Karan Nijhawan, Category Technician at Husky Energy
I have read Kelly’s books and while I was saddened by her story of loss I was inspired by her resilience and her ability to share her experience so openly. I also feel privileged to have heard her speak to our Rotary club last year….
Andrea Stack, MBA, FCSI
It was fantastic to work with Kelly. Hearing your story has given our group something to think about in our workplace and how we interact with the families that cross our doors. It is important to know the impact of a gesture or a word…
Kim Pike, Nurse Manager, Eastern Health
