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ron stempkowski

  • home
  • the ink well
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    • Extraordinary Healers Vol. 7
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ron stempkowski

ron stempkowski

love, loss, healing, and humor…in no particular order

  • home
  • the ink well
  • about ron
    • about ken
  • awards
    • Mountain Climbing for Beginners
  • my faves
  • publication
    • Extraordinary Healers Vol. 7
  • newsletter
  • twisted plot paper
The Quiet Ways Grief Changed Me—for the Better

The Quiet Ways Grief Changed Me—for the Better

Posted on November 16, 2025November 16, 2025 by Ron Stempkowski
Grief and loss don’t define me. They inform me. For a long time, I thought grief had rewritten my entire identity. After Ken died, everything felt marked by before and after. I didn’t recognize th... Read More
What Grief Taught Me About Storytelling

What Grief Taught Me About Storytelling

Posted on November 13, 2025November 13, 2025 by Ron Stempkowski
There’s a strange thing that happens after you lose someone you love — the story you thought you were living ends mid-sentence. One minute, you’re a “we.” The next, you’re a plot twist you... Read More
The Rituals That Remain

The Rituals That Remain

Posted on November 10, 2025November 11, 2025 by Ron Stempkowski
I’ve always loved a good ritual. There’s something comforting about repetition — the way lighting a candle, brewing the same cup of coffee, or playing a familiar song can create a little order i... Read More
The Essay as Mirror: Why I Keep Coming Back to Personal Narrative

The Essay as Mirror: Why I Keep Coming Back to Personal Narrative

Posted on November 2, 2025November 2, 2025 by Ron Stempkowski
Writing personal essays isn’t about oversharing — it’s about understanding. Every time I sit down to write, I end up meeting a new version of myself in the reflection. Sometimes he’s brave, so... Read More
When the Story Starts Writing You Back

When the Story Starts Writing You Back

Posted on October 31, 2025October 31, 2025 by Ron Stempkowski
Something has been stirring lately. It started earlier this year when I organized the fundraiser in honor of Ken’s 60th birthday. What began as a simple idea—to celebrate the life he lived and the... Read More
The Luck We Carry

The Luck We Carry

Posted on October 21, 2025October 28, 2025 by Ron Stempkowski
Every so often, you meet someone who changes the temperature of your day — not through grand gestures or deep conversations, but through a single, simple truth. That happened to me recently at the l... Read More
A Redemptive Friendship

A Redemptive Friendship

Posted on October 4, 2025October 28, 2025 by Ron Stempkowski
I woke up to the news that my friend Craig has died. It was less than a month ago when his sister Teresa, also a dear friend, texted me to tell me that, after some investigation, they were blindsided ... Read More
The Premiere, the Fundraiser, and the Love That Filled the (Virtual) Room

The Premiere, the Fundraiser, and the Love That Filled the (Virtual) Room

Posted on September 23, 2025September 23, 2025 by Ron Stempkowski
When I first had the idea to bring Ken’s one-man show, My Foot Left, back to life as a digital premiere and fundraiser, I wasn’t entirely sure what I was getting myself into. Honestly, it fel... Read More
The Power of "Yes!"

The Power of “Yes!”

Posted on July 30, 2025October 28, 2025 by Ron Stempkowski
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the power of saying yes since putting this fundraiser together. It’s such a simple word—three letters, one syllable—but it can crack open whole new w... Read More
Best Foot Forward: Celebrating Ken's 60th

Best Foot Forward: Celebrating Ken’s 60th

Posted on July 26, 2025July 26, 2025 by Ron Stempkowski
I’ve written about my late husband, Ken, many times here. In fact, writing about him and our experience together with his cancer was a coping mechanism that served me well since his re-diagnosis in ... Read More
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