One Day At a Time
Nine years ago, we celebrated our first Christmas Eve as a family of three. It felt too overwhelming to get our massive Christmas tree from the attic crawl space, so I purchased a one-foot lit tree from Valley View Farms which we blinged out with ornaments. We continued other family traditions, such as Chinese food…
Freedom
Freedom. Webster’s Dictionary has several definitions, including the “absence of subjection to foreign domination or despotic government” and “the state of not being enslaved.” Fourth of July has traditionally recognized the victory in the Revolutionary War that led to freedom from English rule. In recent years, this celebration has been met with scrutiny as more…
Tell Me About Her
One year ago today, the suspect in Rachel’s murder case was apprehended by police. It had been a long year of waiting, interspersed with beautiful moments of connection with others who sought justice for Rachel – many who had never even met my beautiful best friend. ••••••• It was June 11, 2024 and my first…
A Light in the Darkness
It was August 6, one year after we lost Rachel. I was sitting in the parking lot of Smoothie King when a message popped up on my phone from one of Rachel’s family members. They had just seen my post about my walk on the Ma and Pa Trail in Rachel’s memory, and asked if…
Act Two
I arrived in Black Rock City, Nevada in August of 2019 on a mission for inner peace. I knew I needed to let go, but of what was still taking shape. However, just a few days before I would leave, I came across a letter folded in half; a nondescript piece of typing paper. It…
The Best Way to Learn
This summer makes 23 years since I taught my first college class. I was 19 the first time I considered becoming a college professor. Teaching was the family profession. My mother had been a fourth grade teacher for several years before becoming a children’s librarian. My father taught English, Latin, and music. My older sister…
My Soul Family
When my husband left, it felt like I had lost my entire world. He had been my best friend and partner for 16 years. I feared I would never find connection – or love – again. I had thought we were “soul mates,” destined to be together forever. The one. My one true love. Isn’t…
Adaptability is the Key to Change
Earlier this week, I was celebrating my son’s birthday at Great Wolf Lodge when I received an invite to be a panel speaker at the DigiMarcon Dallas — an offer that led from networking with the MC at the DigiMarcon Miami when I had traveled with my college’s Journalism Club there last month. Within hours,…
Another Door Opens
“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” Eight years ago today, my husband told me he wanted a divorce. If only I had been home more and spent less time…
Lighting My Way Forward
My friend Roger and I were sipping coffee on the front porch this morning when our black cat, Princess Long Tail, ran onto the lawn with something tiny in her mouth. Princess was born on the 4th of July last summer and had been Rachel’s kitten. “Drop it!” I yelled. Princess dropped the small creature…
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The Claudia Brown 