Author: Rich Gorecki

Today is Memorial Day in the United States, a holiday to honor and mourn those who who laid down their lives while serving in the military. It is also a time to pause to reflect on the freedom we enjoy in America. For most, it is the unofficial beginning of summer with picnics, barbeques, and graduation parties. Some go to the beach or lake house for the long weekend. For others, it is a day of sadness with visits to cemeteries and memorials to loved ones and friends. This morning, I paused at local Veterans Memorial Park to honor those who died during battle. I also remember my father, who passed away last year. Dad was a proud U.S. Marine, who rests in peace, along side many other veterans at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, IL.  This year, celebrating the holiday is a bit more difficult given the

This past weekend was Mother’s Day in the United States. For me, it is a day with some sadness since my mother passed away in 2017. For others, it’s a complicated and confusing day about how to celebrate mothers. Most of us will honor the mother of our children. Some may give a card to their child’s mother even if they are no longer married. Some will mess the day up completely and not celebrate it saying, “Well, you’re not my mother”. Hopefully, many will also celebrate their mother-in-law. But what do you say if the day is a painful reminder of a miscarriage or infertility?  Here’s some background on Mother’s Day and a few suggestions for celebrating mothers of all types. Feel free to weigh in via the comments if I’ve gone “off the road” or if you disagree. You can also provide some additional suggestions.  The Origins of