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ron stempkowski

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ron stempkowski

ron stempkowski

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

  • home
  • the luck we carry
  • the ink well
  • about ron
    • about ken
  • contact
  • awards
    • Mountain Climbing for Beginners
  • my faves
  • publication
    • Extraordinary Healers Vol. 7
  • newsletter
  • twisted plot paper

Category: Grief

Reflecting on 2025 with my New Year's Eve Ritual

Reflecting on 2025 with my New Year’s Eve Ritual

Posted on December 31, 2025January 8, 2026 by Ron Stempkowski
It’s my fourth year, sitting with a stack of envelopes packed with selected memories from the past year since starting the practice for 2022. It’s the perfect way to slow down, stay in the... Read More
The Quiet Gift of a Christmas Day Walk

The Quiet Gift of a Christmas Day Walk

Posted on December 25, 2025December 25, 2025 by Ron Stempkowski
Christmas Day walks with Hudson have a different kind of quiet to them. The streets are empty. The world feels paused. No rush, no noise, no expectations. Just cold air, steady footsteps, and a very g... Read More
Something Big Is Coming in 2026

Something Big Is Coming in 2026

Posted on December 22, 2025December 25, 2025 by Ron Stempkowski
I’ve been working quietly toward something for a long time now. Longer than most people realize. 2026 is shaping up to be a year of intention, creativity, and a big chapter finally stepping into the... Read More
The Quiet Gift of Being Seen

The Quiet Gift of Being Seen

Posted on December 18, 2025December 18, 2025 by Ron Stempkowski
While I was outside with Hudson yesterday, one of my neighbors was out with her dog, Ripley. Hudson and Ripley like to “talk” and play without regard for the fence between them. As I turne... Read More
The Gift of Unplugging

The Gift of Unplugging

Posted on December 17, 2025December 18, 2025 by Ron Stempkowski
The holidays can be loud. Not always in the obvious ways. Sometimes it’s the noise of schedules and obligations and travel plans and inboxes that refuse to quiet down just because the calendar says ... Read More
Permission to Pause

Permission to Pause

Posted on December 16, 2025December 16, 2025 by Ron Stempkowski
Here’s the thing about the holidays that no one really says out loud. They give us permission to pause. Not the kind of pause that comes from burnout or hitting a wall. The gentler kind. The intenti... Read More
Celebrating 15 Years of Showing Up

Celebrating 15 Years of Showing Up

Posted on December 7, 2025December 7, 2025 by Ron Stempkowski
Fifteen years. I had to sit with that number for a minute. I started this blog in a very different version of my life, long before I knew how much the words would hold, or how many times they’d help... Read More
The Quiet Gratitude That Stays

The Quiet Gratitude That Stays

Posted on November 28, 2025November 27, 2025 by Ron Stempkowski
the leftovers are stacked in the fridge that makes space for the good stuff to surface. Not the performative kind of gratitude, but the real, lived-in kind—the moments that catch you off guard and r... Read More
It's Okay if Gratitude Doesn't Feel Natural Right Now

It’s Okay if Gratitude Doesn’t Feel Natural Right Now

Posted on November 26, 2025November 26, 2025 by Ron Stempkowski
Some days, gratitude feels easy. Other days, it feels like trying to read fine print in the dark. And if you’re in one of those darker stretches right now, I want to say something simple: there’s ... Read More
Grief Taught Me to See Differently

Grief Taught Me to See Differently

Posted on November 25, 2025November 25, 2025 by Ron Stempkowski
There was a time when the word gratitude felt impossible. People love to offer it up as a cure-all—look for the silver lining, focus on the good, find the lesson. But when you’re living inside rea... Read More
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  • The Guy on the Screen
    by Ron Stempkowski
    I was interviewed recently about my upcoming book, The Luck We Carry: Love, Loss, and the Stories That Shape Us....
  • Nobody Tells You There’s a Third Option After Loss
    by Ron Stempkowski
    “Moving on” never felt right. Here’s what I found instead. It was August, a few months after my husband Ken...
  • Listening to History Instead of Reading It
    by Ron Stempkowski
    I went to the theatre knowing what had happened. Like many people, I knew the story of Emmett Till. I...
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