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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)

Tag: Grief

For the Love of Her

For the Love of Her

Posted on April 15, 2025April 15, 2025 by Ron Stempkowski
I flew to Los Angeles over the weekend to attend my sister-in-law Katie’s memorial. Even seeing it writing or saying it out loud still doesn’t quite compute for me. This was a trip I looke... Read More
Outside of Space and Time

Outside of Space and Time

Posted on December 1, 2024December 1, 2024 by Ron Stempkowski
The world is grayer. The stars have lost their sparkle. Sharp edges have dulled. And my heart has another fissure, bleeding more love and all things good with the death of my sister-in-law and friend,... Read More
The Thirteenth June 1

The Thirteenth June 1

Posted on June 1, 2024June 1, 2024 by Ron Stempkowski
Year after year this date greets me in many different way I can never accurately predict. It used to feel like an attack—an onslaught of sadness and so many other overwhelming feelings. I dreaded th... Read More
Bearing the Lion’s Share of Grief

Bearing the Lion’s Share of Grief

Posted on December 10, 2023December 17, 2023 by Ron Stempkowski
This caught my eye on my calendar the other day as I approach the one-year anniversary of the loss of my sweet puppy girl, Kallie. It caught my eye, and–surprisingly–made me smile because ... Read More
In the Groove

In the Groove

Posted on June 1, 2022June 1, 2022 by Ron Stempkowski
The older I get, the harder it is to mourn a life I didn’t have. -Me, today June 1, 2011 was also a Wednesday. I wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t checked the calendar just now. As I s... Read More
January 18: A Decade Later

January 18: A Decade Later

Posted on January 20, 2020May 14, 2022 by Ron Stempkowski
I’m pretty ardent with the attention I pay to my calendar and to my journal (and to my blog, for that matter), marking it with momentous occasions—both good and bad. Ken’s cancer and death were ... Read More
When Bloggers Collide

When Bloggers Collide

Posted on April 25, 2019April 25, 2019 by Ron Stempkowski
Being a writer is foundational to who I am. It’s integral. And it’s given me gifts over the years, and certainly played a key part in helping me to work through my grief when Ken died in 2011.... 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
Dear Ken

Dear Ken

Posted on June 1, 2015July 12, 2017 by Ron Stempkowski
My love, June 1, 2015 means it’s been four years since you left this world. No matter how much time passes, it doesn’t really make sense to me. Our life together is so vivid and textured, ... Read More
Grateful

Grateful

Posted on March 23, 2015July 12, 2017 by Ron Stempkowski
I didn’t dread today. And that didn’t surprise me. It didn’t take me by surprise. And that didn’t surprise me either. I feel something very special. Ethereal. When I look at th... 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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