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Month: December 2013

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December 2013

Magic in Moments

December 24, 2013 /
Look at her long legs stretched all the way to the floor.  Look at her outfit compared to her younger sister’s – the fancy dress dismissed for a fashion statement.  Look at this girl near 10 years old, with the knowledge behind those grown up glasses that she is now sitting on a stranger’s lap, not the comforting lap of a magical man.  This photo was taken last week and after posting it for friends and family to see – I had a moment of embarrassment when I realized my state of denial. Denial comes in many forms, frequently followed
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Merry Memories

December 19, 2013 /
My father died on Christmas day. This Christmas, like the one thirty years ago, I will host my family in my cozy home with candles burning and my tree gloriously trimmed. Unlike that year, my nursing newborn is now the 30 year old flying home from New York before he heads off to India. My home is now an apartment instead of a house. There will be no husband to cohost the holiday party, and the widow in the house will not be my mother but will be me. It’s impossible for me to not connect holidays with losses, even
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Illumination

December 12, 2013 /
One of my favorite nights of the year fell on this Sunday past.  The second Sunday in December, each year, my former neighborhood lines it’s streets with white paper bags filled with a candle that burns throughout the night.  Each year the neighborhood is filled with a serene peace and beauty.  Perhaps that is the draw for me – the quiet – in the middle of the holiday hustle. I have been hosting a party on luminary night for several years.  The tradition began while I was married and living in my marital residence.  I was divorced two years ago
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In Memory of Todd Elsbernd

December 5, 2013 /
A 52 year old father of three was shot in the back with a high velocity rifle in the parking lot near his downtown office at 6:31 p.m. on a Wednesday. He was a divorce lawyer, and the shooter was his former client. Nancy Petersen filed for divorce from her husband, Michael, in 2002.  There were the usual requests for temporary financial support and financial documents. There were depositions, affidavits, exhibits, and witness lists. There were also all of the signs of high conflict. Multiple allegations of contempt.  An appointment of a professional to protect the best interests of their
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