The moment I set foot in Vung Tau, South Vietnam 7/2015. Photo credit: Adam ~Kim Libertini~ The conversation began like any other. Someone asked, “Do you have any siblings?” I quickly replied,” No, I am adopted. I was brought here to the US during Operation Babylift. My father was an American GI and my mother a … Continue reading This is me. I am.
Today, I’m giving thanks for tiny joys. All too often, it’s the unmistakable joys - the ones that leave us grinning from ear-to-ear - that receive all the fanfare. But not, today. Today, these microscopic pleasures get their moment in the sun and praises sang. Because it’s tiny joys that get us through the day. … Continue reading Tiny Joys
photo credit Photo by Mareko Tamaleaa on Unsplash ~Kim Libertini “What could I have possibly done in this life to deserve this?” That question incessantly echoed inside my head. I was incapable of comprehending how THIS could happen to me and yet I was surrounded by people happily living their lives. It didn’t make sense. For a period … Continue reading I Deserve
Was this last year hard for you? I want to remind you that you've made it this far, and we're going to usher in 2020 together. But before we do, here's a look back on some of our favorite blog posts of the past year. Go Easy on You: You are too hard on yourself. … Continue reading Happy (Hard) Holidays!
The holiday season is in full swing. As I sit on my couch my time hop flashes an image from four years ago with my son smiling in front of the Christmas tree. The hashtag reads,”fake it till you make it.” My mind reverts back to that first Christmas after Adam died. Everything felt … Continue reading Holiday Happiness
I called my dead mother the other day. It was her birthday and I needed to talk, even though hearing her voice was impossible. A robotic message explained that, “the call couldn’t be completed as dialed.” Not surprising since her phone line went dead shortly after her passing. But that hasn’t diminished my urge to … Continue reading Calling Heaven
Photo by Briana Tozour on Unsplash ~Kim Libertini There were tears in her eyes as she looked at me and said, “I don’t know if I am doing the right thing. The truth is I don’t know what to do or what to say. So I just go there. I do laundry or take the kids. Sometimes, I … Continue reading The Good Friend
Photo courtesy of Dollar Gill, Unsplash Do you remember the part in the book “Peter Pan” where Tinkerbell’s fairy light fades along with her life? She whispers to Peter that she thinks she would get better if children believed in fairies. “Do you believe in fairies?,” Peter asks the kids of Neverland. “Say quick that … Continue reading The Tinkerbell Effect of Believing in Yourself
Photo by Jordan Donaldson | @jordi.d on Unsplash~Kim LibertiniSome people give themselves titles and others earn them. I owe part of my title to the nurture of a woman who somehow managed to carry me through a war-ravaged country, in order to drop me off on the doorstep of an orphanage, with the hope that I would escape … Continue reading The Survivor
Boundaries are as much about what we keep out as let in. When it comes to grief, we frequently talk about building boundaries to prevent people from being prescriptive about how we grieve, telling us to move on, or threatening our fragile and momentary peace. These limits are important and good mostly as preventative measures … Continue reading Boundaries
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