Living with Loss Archive - Surviving Medical Mayhem

Is it Time to Turn Over the Keys to the Car?

Loretta Schoen 22nd May 2026

I can remember the exhilaration of getting that first driver’s license. It was a passage to freedom and felt like proof that I was an adult. Music blaring, windows down, hair blowing through my hair,

The Gucci Bag

Loretta Schoen 10th March 2023

It was a serious and solemn time for us—the end of my mother’s life on earth. She had tried every drug and therapy known at the time to kill or stave off the cancer, but

What Do I Need to Do When Someone Dies?

Loretta Schoen 15th October 2021 01 comment

When my mother died I thought I was prepared. My mother had battled cancer for 10 years and the final nine months we all knew that this was a war she would not win. My

Getting Through the Scary Times

Loretta Schoen 08th October 2021

Halloween can conjure up ghosts, skeletons, and scary stuff. But you know what’s really scary? Losing someone you care about. I recently lost two friends and watched how they and their families navigated this journey.

Special Species

Loretta Schoen 27th August 2021

Did you know that we are the only species on this planet that know we are going to die? Have you ever thought why God made us this way? Many of us don’t give it

Life after Caregiving

Loretta Schoen 14th May 2021

Your life as a caregiver has been consumed with caring for the physical, emotional and spiritual life of someone you loved. But now your caregiving days are over, hopefully, because they have been restored to

The Dichotomy of a Life – A Tribute to My Mother

Loretta Schoen 07th May 2021

My mother was born into a privileged life, having a chauffeur, cooks, maids and nannies, with summers in Italy, beautiful homes in Long Island, NY and Florida, apartments in San Remo and Manhattan. Yet her

One More Conversation, Please

Loretta Schoen 26th February 2021

It had been a cool spring, a strong breeze was gently caressing our skin where the Florida sun had warmed us. Mom and I had settled on the back porch, her with her scotch and

Ode to an Angel

Loretta Schoen 10th April 2017

“He who learns must suffer and even in our sleep pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart. In our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful

Thanks for the Memories

Loretta Schoen 22nd February 2017

Today I am not writing about overcoming medical adversity; but about loss. For I have lost someone very dear to me. Heidi came to us having been a puppy mill dog that had been bred

Return to Sender

Loretta Schoen 21st December 2016

It’s that time of year when Thad and I send out Christmas cards with a one page letter highlighting the year’s events. Our criteria for selection are those people who impacted our lives in the

When Death Comes at Christmas

Loretta Schoen 14th December 2016

God has placed this blog on my heart, nudging me awake at 4:30 am for many mornings until I began to listen and put these thoughts into words. Throughout this time He has put articles,

CART

Category: Living with Loss