Part of the filmstrip I run in my head when grief feels like too much.
This was taken in December 2021, overlooking Thunder Ridge from the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia. The clouds moving through the mountains and that quiet, watchful tree have stayed with me ever since. Some images don’t just live in an album — they become places the mind returns to for comfort.
#Photography #BlueRidgeParkway #MountainPhotography #GriefJourney #HealingThroughArt #NaturePhotography #ayearforart
I'm heartbroken as my dad passed away late last night. But, after some thought, I can still find #3goodthings
1. Dad is at peace now and for that I am grateful.
2. I got to spend these last years with him under my roof, creating memories I’ll hold onto forever.
3. Love doesn’t end here—the love he gave continues to shape me, even in the hardest moments.
Bonus: I’m holding close the memory of our last real vacation together at what used to be my grandparent's cabin on Lake Superior — and this photo reminds me that even in grief, there is still beauty to look toward.
#threegoodthings #SmallMoments #AYearForArt #LakeSuperior #Photography #GriefJourney #NatureHeals
1. Got dad’s gravesite memorial service scheduled for early September.
2. Working towards my two-month road trip back to Michigan in early May to start sorting through his/my brother’s place and property. This first trip will be called “The Long Goodbye”.
3. Planning alternate day trips and multi-day trips around the Midwest so if the sorting and organizing gets to be too much, I can drop everything and run off with my camera to take a break. Hoping to be able to visit all 5 of the Great Lakes during this time.
Bonus: For the return trip in September, I’ve started planning for a mini family reunion after the graveside service. This will be my “Closing the Circle” trip.
Grief doesn’t happen all at once. The Long Goodbye is the process of letting go over time. Closing the Circle is that final return—to finish, to honor, and to move forward.
#3goodthings #threeGoodThings #GriefJourney
#LongGoodbye #ClosingTheCircle #HealingThroughTravel #LifeInTransition
Sharing this because I need to hear the sounds of home right now. Lake Superior on a windy autumn day (from October 2025 with Dad in Marquette in Upper Michigan).
#LakeSuperior #GreatLakes #MichiganUP #NaturePhotography #Waves #Gratitude #GriefJourney #TodaysSmallMoment
Some of you may remember Margey the Meerkat (on the left). She used to come along with me on photo shoots. When I’m ready to get back out there with my camera, she’ll have some company — Top Dog, as Dad called him.
Top Dog was Dad’s — the little stuffy he made sure to bring with him when he moved to Virginia to live with us. I’m pretty sure he had originally given it to Mom during one of her hospital stays back in the 90s.
It just feels right that the two of them will come along with me on future photo adventures.
#PhotographyLife #PhotoCompanion #GriefJourney #LifeAfterLoss #MemoryKeeping #HealingThroughArt #CreativeJourney
Three good things today:
The steady rhythm of Lake Superior waves at sunset — that familiar, grounding sound that hasn’t changed.
A memory from 2024 with Dad, staying at my grandparents’ cabin west of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, a place that was theirs until the 70s.
Realizing that even now, that shoreline still sounds like home to me.
#ThreeGoodThings #LakeSuperior #3goodthings #GriefJourney #Home #Michigan #QuietMoments #MindfulLiving
Weather at Dad's place today (April 2) in Upper Michigan: mostly freezing rain and sleet right now, with another 5 inches of snow expected on top of it. This has truly been one of the harshest winters in decades. I spoke with someone up there who said the two back-to-back storms in mid-March alone dumped 54 inches (137 cm) of snow. 😬
Three good things:
1. Even with all this weather, the camera is still giving me a window into home.
2. I'm looking forward to making several side trips while I'm in the Midwest, visiting old familiar places and some new ones, too. All with my camera in hand. Hoping to offset the inevitable moments of grief and sadness as I sort through my dad and brother's belongings.
3. It's good to finally feel excited about getting out with my camera again.
#threegoodthings #3goodthings #GriefJourney #WinterWeather #Roadtrip #TravelPhotography #gratitude #today
Found my brother’s jacket in the hall closet today. It’s remarkably similar to my own—different color and brand, but both are fleece zip-ups embroidered with “San Francisco.” We bought them on the same trip more than ten years ago when he, Dad, and I drove the Pacific Coast Highway starting in San Francisco.
That trip gave us so many good memories. Best of all, his jacket fits me. My own has always been a favorite, and now his will be treasured too. ❤️
#FamilyMemories #GriefJourney #Remembering #RoadTrip #SanFrancisco
1. Got 98% of my things packed into the car for the drive home in a few days.
2. Received a legal document that I’d been waiting for, which enabled me to set my homeward bound travel plans!
3. Booked my motel stays between Michigan and Virginia to stop at a few of my favorite places with my camera(s) in hand.
I searched everywhere for the outdoor weather station sensor and just couldn’t find it. A friend suggested I think of it as an adventure, but I was mostly frustrated.
In the end, it became another reminder of all the little things I can no longer ask Dad. Finding the sensor brought some relief, but it also made me realize how much I still miss being able to turn to him for answers.
#GriefJourney #Remembering #LifeReflections #Family #EverydayLife
Something I’ve learned about grief: people want to help, and sometimes that becomes advice about what you should do — cherish the memories, feel it, remember the good times, talk about it, don’t avoid it.
Most of it is said with love. But only the person grieving knows what they can handle right now.
Not going deeply into a memory isn’t always avoidance. Sometimes you can only let the hardest things back in a little at a time. A memory that may someday bring comfort can still be too painful today.
I’ve faced more this past year than most know. I’ve returned to places I dreaded and walked into rooms I wasn’t sure I could enter again. I did it. But I’ve learned to trust myself to know what I’m ready for and when.
Grief doesn’t need instructions. Sometimes the most helpful thing you can say is, “I’m here. I’m listening.”
Maybe someday the painful memories will be ones I can cherish again. I’m just not going to force myself there before I’m ready.
