The Resolute Woman

Category: grief

  • We want to forget

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    by

    resolutewoman
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    Dallas is erecting a sculpture to honor men and at least one woman lynched in the city between 1853 and 1920. A poem by Tim Seibles is punched into the sculpture’s steel wall. It begins: “These are the things nightmares are made of—ropes, knivers, a torn black face, burning flesh, white mobs, their picnics and…

  • A woman lynched

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    by

    resolutewoman
    in ,

    Finally, in March 2024, Dallas is dedicating a sculpture to honor men lynched in the city between 1853 and 1920. Men and one woman. Jane Elkins, an enslaved woman, was hanged in 1853 after her conviction for killing her white owner as he attempted to rape her.

  • Joy and sorrow

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    resolutewoman
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    Lots of sorrow and a little joy. Lots of joy and only a bit Of sorrow.             Who can know The formula beforehand? These are words from How Beautiful the Beloved by Gregory Orr.  One of the best kinds of friends are friends who give you a book—a book you never would have read if…

  • One year of war

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    resolutewoman
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    February 24, 2023, marks one year of war for Ukraine’s people. One year ago, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Russia that the consequences would be “an abundance of pain, filth, blood and death….War is a huge calamity. This calamity carries a huge cost—in every meaning of this world.” Say a prayer for the people of…

  • All shall be well

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    resolutewoman
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    My book club just read Sue Monk Kidd’s book The Book of Longings, and this is my favorite quote from the book. “When I tell you all shall be well, I don’t mean that life won’t bring you tragedy. Life will be life. I mean only you will be well in spite of it. All…

  • Create meaning

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    resolutewoman
    in ,

    After tragedy, you don’t find meaning, Elaine Pagels, a professor at Princeton, told an audience at Arts & Letters Live in Dallas recently. “You create meaning.” Pagels writes about the death of her 6-1/2-year-old son and her husband in her new book Why Religion?

  • Sense of interconnection

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    by

    resolutewoman
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    Elaine Pagels, a professor at Princeton, writes about the death of her 6-1/2-year-old son and her husband in her new book Why Religion? The two deaths happened about 30 years ago, but, only now, she says, is she able to write about them. “You don’t get over tragedies,” she told an audience at Arts &…

  • Personalization, pervasiveness, permanence

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    resolutewoman
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    Psychologist Martin Seligman found that the three Ps can stunt recovery after the death of someone you love, the loss of a job or any other catastrophe. • Personalization is the belief that we are at fault. • Pervasiveness is the belief that an event will affect all areas of our life. • Permanence is…

  • Life goes on

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    by

    resolutewoman
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    My friend Olga told me about her friend who just died. She was a woman who had seen much and done much—and, for Olga, she had been more family than friend. I could feel Olga’s sadness when she concluded, “Life goes on.” It’s true. Robert Frost once said: ‘In three words, I can sum up…

  • Remembering Patti

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    resolutewoman
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    I’m still overwhelmed by sadness when I remember Patti, my good friend and business partner in my real estate business. But, even though I’m grieving, I can’t keep from smiling when I think about Patti’s laughter and her loyalty and her many kindnesses. I’ve been thinking about Patti constantly since she died earlier this month.…