death of a child | Sheila Collins

The Summer Solstice

by Sheila Collins | Jun 21, 2014 | Gatherings, Personal Stories, Rituals

Today is the Summer Solstice. It is the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, because the Earth tilts 23.5 degrees on its axis and causes this part of the Earth to face the sun directly. We’re not moving closer to the sun as people often think, it’s just...

Commencement

by Sheila Collins | May 22, 2014 | Gatherings, Grieving, Personal Stories, Uncategorized

It’s a tremendous accomplishment, though I’ve often wondered, whose accomplishment is it? If it takes a village to raise a child, when the eldest child of my eldest child was scheduled to graduate from college a couple of weeks ago, our family determined it would take...

A Different Kind of Gypsy

by Sheila Collins | Jan 22, 2014 | Improvisation, Personal Stories, Women, Girls & the Feminine

In the musical comedy theater the dancers are called “gypsies.” I suppose it’s because the nature of their employment involves changing jobs and moving around the country often. The first year I was in New York, I lived in 11 different places around the city,...

Saying Goodbye to Our Best Friend

by Sheila Collins | Jan 13, 2014 | Grieving, Personal Stories, Story-telling

There’s a lot of empty, silent space in our house these days. Nobody’s sitting at the front window, guarding the perimeter from potential intruders. There’s no greeting as we return home and open the front door, no heralded announcement that guests we have not yet...

The Family Carries On

by Sheila Collins | Jan 5, 2014 | Gatherings, Grieving, Personal Stories, Story-telling

As our plane finally lifts from the ground in Palm Springs CA. we’re offered a panoramic view of the mountains and red tile rooftops on the valley floor. “Goodbye palm trees. Goodbye warm swimming pools and even warmer hot tubs. Goodbye dear family, till the next time...