Amazing, read this last night, noting that I wanted to read the van der Kolk book, and the therapy office I admin for just got an invite to his online course! Saw the email and wondered why I recognized the name... #teamnoraforever

Thank you as always for sharing your deep feelings. We feel your struggle and journey as much as possible thru reading. We are always sending our love and positive thoughts your guys way.

Always so interesting for me to glimpse your journey as I am on my own -- comparing, contrasting, marveling at the synchronicity and differentiation.

I happen to have the Brene Brown doc, 'The Call to Courage", on last night, Near the end she talks about how resilient people have a phrase in their tool box, which is "so, the story I am telling myself. . . " For me, that reminds me that though words seem (and so are) so essential, they do not ever quite get at to the center of the thing. It is always a "story", which somehow exists as only a part of the totality of the storyteller.

Noting, too, that the body has ways of knowing that, while containing the story and being a reflection of it, are also somehow beyond the story. And that nature so often lifts us outside our story and in so doing, recalls the principle of 'non attachment'. And that gratitude and awe are counterweights to anxiety and despair.

I do diverge with you a bit on the idea that 'doing something is always better than doing nothing'. I find in this grief journey that I so often long to 'do nothing', but there is always so much to do and time seems to be in (well shall we say) 'much shorter supply', than it did before Jason died. And too, as Alan Watts points out, -- it isn't actually possible to 'do nothing'. Try it: you are, by the nature of being alive, 'doing something' -- even if that is reflecting, breathing, being. For me the drive to 'do something' often causes me to question why it is I feel that I must? and why the feeling that comes with it that I am not enough as I am.

I'd offered to Anne for my yoga instructor to do a private class, as my gift. If that's something you might both like to do, send word and I can make the arrangements.

BLESS YOU.

This continues to be a gift. Thanks so much for writing.

I love this so much. Especially the part where Rachel knows what book to send you. And the winds howling into stillness. You are such a loved family

Just for the record, we didn’t listen to the same podcast. It was just serendipity that a book I’ve read and appreciated (and wanted to share w you both) was something that you were seeking at the same moment. 💛