Author: Ron Stempkowski
Building and Stumbling
I returned to work yesterday. It was a daunting feat, but a necessary one. I’d submerged myself in alone-time last week to ensure I could feel the full gamut of emotions I needed to feel. I gave... Read More
Baking Lessons
Yesterday I decided I bake an apple pie. Simple enough, right? But never having done so before I felt like it would be a fun challenge–no matter how it turned out. Worse case scenario I’d ... Read More
Out on a Limb
As a two-time amputee Ken was intimately familiar with the loss of a limb. He often told a story from college when he stood up while not wearing his prosthetic to grab a book off the shelf and forgett... Read More
Words of My Own
I have struggled with words (among many other things) this week since the loss of my husband and best friend Ken. As someone who is accustomed to documenting my feelings, it’s been uncomfortable... Read More
Stop All the Clocks
Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,Silence the pianos and with muffled drumBring out the coffin, let the mourners come. Let aeroplanes circle moa... Read More
Long Walks & Purple Socks
Ken has been sleeping more and more, and my keyboard clicks away he has been sleeping 15+ hours. My mother-in-law (Mama Jo) arrived on Thursday evening after a few conversations updating her and the r... Read More
Step by Step
A friend recently likened dealing with kenan’s terminal cancer diagnosis to a staircase. Each change in his condition defines the “new normal”. But before this new normal is accepted... Read More
Blog Day Afternoon
(Ken booked ended by my folks on the left, and his folks on the right.) It’s a funny thing to be gay and fall in love in one’s early thirties. Your personality is pretty much fully “... Read More