~Kim Libertini There is this thing about grief. It is so different based on who you lost and how you lost them. Yet there are common threads woven into each loss that connect this community of aching hearts. This sentiment was underscored during my recent guest-host in Circles Audio Chat Room. As the Co-founder of … Continue reading Aching Hearts Survive Sadness Together
Category: moving forward
I Am Proof
~Kim Libertini The holidays roll in and I can feel the density of the air increase. My body desperately wants to recoil. It’s an odd year. In the language of divorce this is how I monitor my level of holiday disengagement. On odd years my ex has the kids. No kids means less holiday hoopla. … Continue reading I Am Proof
The Road of Life
~Kim Libertini The road of life is treacherous. The unanticipated twists and turns are difficult to handle. There are so many unpredictable variables that fold into the journey. It is bumpy and can be very unstable. For those of us who have experienced head on collisions on this road, it becomes difficult to put ourselves … Continue reading The Road of Life
Grieving the Loss of My Identity
~Kim Libertini Stunned. There are no other words to describe the moment. I looked in the mirror at the reflection that has been staring back at me for 46 years. How many times had I attributed visual characteristics like my high cheek bones and rounder eyes to Caucasian genes? Adopted at five-months of age, for … Continue reading Grieving the Loss of My Identity
The Why is in My History
~Kim Libertini I’ve been in a really good place as of late. Five years ago I could never have imagined being as whole as I feel now. Recent conversations in both my personal and professional worlds have caused me to examine my life events. As I dig in and unearth the roots of my past, … Continue reading The Why is in My History
Eye of the Storm
About one hundred years ago (apologies I’ve lost track of time) when I used to cover United Nations environmental negotiations, the director of the reporting group used to give pep talks to prepare the team for the long days ahead full of pressure, inevitable chaos, and unknown outcomes. He reminded us to become the eye … Continue reading Eye of the Storm
No Signs From The Afterlife
After my mom died, I thought she would appear in numerous ways and signs. A butterfly hanging about, a warm presence in the room, a vivid dream. I imagined that her essence would feel obvious and overwhelming, an external experience impossible to ignore. That hasn’t been the case. While I’ve seen her in a couple … Continue reading No Signs From The Afterlife
THE TERM SINGLE MOM (OR DAD) SUCKS
The term, “single mom” just won’t suffice anymore. The time has come to place a jauntier hat on our heads and upgrade this worn-out title to “independent mom,” or dad. For the last few years, I’ve called myself a single mom as way of explaining that my marriage dissolved and the bulk of parenting rests … Continue reading THE TERM SINGLE MOM (OR DAD) SUCKS
Coffee at Sunrise
~Kim Libertini The sun is just rising above the roofline of my neighbor’s home. I am sitting on my front porch drinking a cup of coffee and listening. There is a stillness paired with a sense of quiet and yet, the feeling is anything but calm. Disconnection triggers fear, anxiety and feels unsettling. The loss … Continue reading Coffee at Sunrise
In Stillness Together, Yet Apart
Go to the trees, says my inner voice. Go to where nature’s calm thrums louder than human anxiety. Sidle up to bark, birds, flowers and water. Align with natural rhythms as a reminder that not everything has changed. This is what I keep hearing. And so that’s where my kids and I have been since … Continue reading In Stillness Together, Yet Apart