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ron stempkowski

  • the xanax diary
  • about ron
    • about ken
  • awards
    • Mountain Climbing for Beginners
  • the ronaissance
  • my faves
  • second city
  • publication
    • Extraordinary Healers Vol. 7
  • media
  • travel
    • Costa Rica (June 2018)
    • Iceland (March 2020)

ron stempkowski

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

  • the xanax diary
  • about ron
    • about ken
  • awards
    • Mountain Climbing for Beginners
  • the ronaissance
  • my faves
  • second city
  • publication
    • Extraordinary Healers Vol. 7
  • media
  • travel
    • Costa Rica (June 2018)
    • Iceland (March 2020)

Category: Grief

In the Tiny Moments

In the Tiny Moments

Posted on October 3, 2018 by Ron Stempkowski
Tears caught me off guard as I drove home from a weekend visit with my mom. I was passing Carmax where I’d met her a few days before. We’d agreed to meet there so she could drive Dad‘... Read More
The Power of the Ripple

The Power of the Ripple

Posted on September 25, 2018September 25, 2018 by Ron Stempkowski
I loved Ken, as did so many. He made me laugh, made feel special, never made me feel awkward in my awkwardness. I received a letter in the mail from a name I didn’t immediately recognize. Upon r... Read More
Celebration of a Lifetime

Celebration of a Lifetime

Posted on September 10, 2018September 10, 2018 by Ron Stempkowski
In so many ways, my dad was larger than life. A living legend, of sorts. The undisputed patriarch of a family who adorned and respected him. Stories about him have been legend for as long as I can rem... Read More
Like Father, Like Son

Like Father, Like Son

Posted on August 20, 2018August 20, 2018 by Ron Stempkowski
When my phone rang early Wednesday morning, I saw it was my sister Shelli. “Sweet,” I thought. “She scored the weed we wanted for Dad to see if it would give him an appetite!” ... Read More
In the Land of "Oro Verde"

In the Land of “Oro Verde”

Posted on June 19, 2018June 19, 2018 by Ron Stempkowski
I have so much to say about my experience in Costa Rica (and I will), but for now I wanted to share images and info from the trip. Feel free to skip the text and just look at pix. The main export of C... Read More
A Letter from the Future

A Letter from the Future

Posted on April 28, 2018 by Ron Stempkowski
I wrote this letter to myself on March 24, 2011 in my diary. It was the week Ken was in the hospital before being released to come home for hospice care where he died on June 1. It was one day after o... Read More
Of Grit, Hope, and the Journey

Of Grit, Hope, and the Journey

Posted on January 19, 2018 by Ron Stempkowski
I’m pretty meticulous when it comes to recording events—either in my diary or in my calendar. I like to remember things—good or bad. But maybe that’s the wrong way to frame it. I like to remem... Read More
Are You an Attention Addict?

Are You an Attention Addict?

Posted on November 9, 2017 by Ron Stempkowski
“We are forgetting how to be bored.” At a stop light, we pull out our smartphones to check social media, the weather…something! In a doctor’s office waiting room with nothing t... Read More
The Quiet Day

The Quiet Day

Posted on June 1, 2017July 12, 2017 by Ron Stempkowski
This June 1 isn’t particularly sad for me…the last few haven’t been, per se. They are thoughtful days. And they are quiet days–meaning, aside from work I’m not overly com... Read More
Widower No More

Widower No More

Posted on May 7, 2017July 12, 2017 by Ron Stempkowski
There was a time when I never thought I’d be doing what I was doing. Ever. But it was happening, and I didn’t have any emotional reaction to it. It was time. Five-and-half years later, I’d reach... Read More
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Ron Stempkowski

Ron Stempkowski

I'm an award-winning essayist and audience-focused word ninja living in Chicago. I have a passion for storytelling with words and images/videos.

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