Mission accomplished: Mom’s final wish granted

Mission accomplished: Mom’s final wish granted

Evidently, the third time really is the charm. After two failed attempts (thanks to COVID), we finally fulfilled Mom’s request to scatter her ashes in Fairbanks, Alaska…to return her to her beloved after 63 years apart. I hope to have a novel inspired by her amazing life to share with you in the near future,…

Farewell sweet mother

Farewell sweet mother

Joan Esther Rodgers Nokes September 22, 1938 – December 26, 2019 Joan Esther Rodgers Nokes—beloved mother, grandmother, sister, and friend—spent her final days on this earth surrounded by her loved ones before peacefully slipping away in the early morning hours following Christmas. Joan’s mortal body may be laid to rest, but her legacy lives on….

Coping with grief after a sudden death

Coping with grief after a sudden death

I had just completed a glorious run on the trails around Hawkes Landing. The weather was perfect. The run felt solid. I had a whole weekend of rest and relaxation ahead of me. Life was good. I had no sense that anything was amiss, no premonition that my view of the world was about to…

A letter to my brother

A letter to my brother

This week is my youngest brother’s birthday. It is also the first anniversary of his passing. Actually, passing is too gentle a word. He was yanked from us suddenly and without warning, and as I write this, I find the pain is still fresh. But most of the time, I remember him with a joy that is…