Author Archives: Kathy

About Kathy

I grew up in Buffalo,New York the second eldest child in a family that eventually included eight children. The neighborhood was an Irish-American enclave. These two facts explain a great deal about me. I spent many years as a teacher who really thought of herself as a writer.

Not Just Another Day

Today was a difficult day for me because  it was the year and a half anniversary of my husband’s death. I think of him every day and miss him all the time. I miss holding his hand when we would … Continue reading

5 Comments »

Happy Birthday!

My daughter had a milestone birthday recently, she turned forty. What a wake –up call that was! It made me wonder how I could have a forty year-old child. Can you even call a forty year old a child? And … Continue reading

8 Comments »

Smile, Smile, Smile

I’ve decided that I need to try to focus on the blessings in my life as a counter balance to the losses and problems that I’ve encountered over the last few years.  What woke me up was the reaction of … Continue reading

4 Comments »

Daddy’s Girl

Sparkle, my little Yorkie-Poodle mix dog, loved her Daddy. Even though he’s been gone for almost a year and a half, I think she still misses him—especially when we run into one of his buddies on our walks. She gets … Continue reading

1 Comment »

Florida Snow

  Yep, it’s cold out there. Even here in Florida tonight’s low will probably be in the 20’s. Tomorrow will be a less than balmy 55 degrees, if we’re lucky. Please don’t feel sorry for me—oh, you don’t? (Hey, are … Continue reading

4 Comments »

The Ghosts of Christmases Past

    I was supposed to celebrate this Christmas with my daughter and her spouse in Oregon. That didn’t happen. I needed to have unexpected surgery on December 11th and came home from the hospital a few days later. Luckily, … Continue reading

6 Comments »

Favorite Christmas Decorations

Do you have Christmas decorations that are special to you? Among my favorite decorations are a gift, a decoration that was my father-in-law’s and one that I made. The Christmas Mop Doll was a gift from a good friend. She … Continue reading

12 Comments »

Holidays in Widows World

  Being a widow has changed my life in many ways—some I expected, others I didn’t.  My husband’s death was not sudden, it happened after several months of illness, hope, despair , hospitalizations and finally, Hospice Care. I thought I … Continue reading

4 Comments »

Remembering President Kennedy

I remember a bright November day in 1963 when my world changed. I was a junior at Victory Academy, a Catholic high school in Buffalo, New York. The first inkling that something had happened was the hushed buzz of conversation … Continue reading

3 Comments »

Being a Hero

  How often have you heard someone described as a hero? It seems that almost every day, we hear of someone who did something that is called heroic. Often, those people insist that they are not heroes, and name someone … Continue reading

5 Comments »