by Hollye Dexter | May 31, 2012 | Grief, losing a friend, loss, mourning, obituary, Randy Holmes
This was our gang, a rag-tag group of rowdy kids. That’s me, the little squirt kneeling in the front row, and that’s Randy in the red and white baseball tee. Somehow our cohorts Laura, Dani and Bret didn’t end up in this picture. We were a group of neighborhood kids...
by Hollye Dexter | Jan 6, 2012 | Gabriel Nussbaum, Grief, healing from loss, loss, mourning
For over twenty years, Troy and I have made music with Gabriel’s family. Together, we have filled ballrooms and venues all over the country with music and laughter and joyous sound. But before Gabriel’s funeral, I never knew the sound of four hundred human souls...
by Hollye Dexter | Oct 13, 2011 | family, family dysfunction, Grief, living authentically, mother guilt, mourning, telling the truth
I have been blue all week, a deep sadness welling up inside me at random moments. It has really caught me off guard. No surprise that I also lost my voice this week.One of the triggers is that tomorrow is Grandparent’s day at Evan’s school. They had to write and talk...
by Hollye Dexter | Sep 28, 2011 | compassion, death, friendship, funerals, Grief, life lessons, mourning, self forgiveness, the power of love
I’ve been to more funerals in my life than I care to count. And I have sat bedside with critically ill friends at the ends of their lives. Although it has been painful, I consider this a privilege, for they have taught me valuable life lessons.My dear friend of 25...
by Hollye Dexter | Nov 2, 2010 | animal spirits, dogs, Grief, loss, mourning
(Brandy and Stitch playing in the living room)One late night, six years ago, I was driving Taylor and his buddies home from one of their first gigs, when suddenly a big dog ran in front of my car and laid down in the street. We pulled over and called to her. She was...
by Hollye Dexter | Jul 19, 2010 | Dick Cheney, faith, heart surgery, loss, mourning, politics
So…Dick Cheney is recovering from Heart Surgery. I saw a doctor on TV the other night explaining the procedure. There’s this amazing little machine inside him that’s pumping his blood, which means that right now, Cheney’s doesn’t actually have a pulse. Really? I mean,...