Theo Boyd's Blog - Posts Tagged "loss"
November Newsletter 2023
The holidays are around the corner!
Are you cooking this Thanksgiving?
Have you started shopping for Christmas?
Are these questions stressing you out as much as they are me?
If there is one thing that I have learned during my grief journey, it is that life is short. We get so stressed about the things on our list and we forget to just take a minute to breathe. As impossible as it sounds - try not to stress this holiday season. Here are some tips:
Ask a friend or neighbor to help you with decorating or shopping.
Take walks each day to give the mind a mental break.
Get plenty of rest. No matter what is on your list, it can wait.
Eat the right foods. Do your body a favor and give it the fruits and vegetables it needs.
Pray. Of course, this is last on my list, but it should always be first. We often forget this very important part of life - PRAYER!
Thanksgiving was Daddy’s favorite holiday. We didn’t have to worry with presents and all that comes with Christmas. We just got to enjoy food and football. Daddy loved it and Momma loved cooking. I still make many of her recipes - cornbread dressing, cranberry salad, pumpkin pie. My favorite is pumpkin pie! I have listed the recipe she wrote to me below:
Nanny’s Pumpkin Pie Recipe
1 Pillsbury pie crust (Momma made her crust from scratch.)
2 cans of pureed pumpkin
½ cup dark corn syrup
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together. Pour pumpkin mixture in an unbaked pie crust. Bake for 45 minutes or until the center seems done. (Do not overbake. The pie will still bake some after you remove it from the oven.) When the pie has 15 minutes baking time left, sprinkle the pecans on top. Finish baking and cool the pie on a cooling rack.
“This is our favorite pumpkin pie - Me, Joe, You and Hannah” - Momma
Remember to enjoy the little things this Thanksgiving and be thankful for the food on your table and the pumpkin pie in the oven.
Love,
Theo
My Grief Is Not Like Yours: Learning to Live after Unimaginable Loss, A Daughter's StoryTheo
Are you cooking this Thanksgiving?
Have you started shopping for Christmas?
Are these questions stressing you out as much as they are me?
If there is one thing that I have learned during my grief journey, it is that life is short. We get so stressed about the things on our list and we forget to just take a minute to breathe. As impossible as it sounds - try not to stress this holiday season. Here are some tips:
Ask a friend or neighbor to help you with decorating or shopping.
Take walks each day to give the mind a mental break.
Get plenty of rest. No matter what is on your list, it can wait.
Eat the right foods. Do your body a favor and give it the fruits and vegetables it needs.
Pray. Of course, this is last on my list, but it should always be first. We often forget this very important part of life - PRAYER!
Thanksgiving was Daddy’s favorite holiday. We didn’t have to worry with presents and all that comes with Christmas. We just got to enjoy food and football. Daddy loved it and Momma loved cooking. I still make many of her recipes - cornbread dressing, cranberry salad, pumpkin pie. My favorite is pumpkin pie! I have listed the recipe she wrote to me below:
Nanny’s Pumpkin Pie Recipe
1 Pillsbury pie crust (Momma made her crust from scratch.)
2 cans of pureed pumpkin
½ cup dark corn syrup
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together. Pour pumpkin mixture in an unbaked pie crust. Bake for 45 minutes or until the center seems done. (Do not overbake. The pie will still bake some after you remove it from the oven.) When the pie has 15 minutes baking time left, sprinkle the pecans on top. Finish baking and cool the pie on a cooling rack.
“This is our favorite pumpkin pie - Me, Joe, You and Hannah” - Momma
Remember to enjoy the little things this Thanksgiving and be thankful for the food on your table and the pumpkin pie in the oven.
Love,
Theo
My Grief Is Not Like Yours: Learning to Live after Unimaginable Loss, A Daughter's StoryTheo
December 2023 Newsletter
We are almost to the end of the year. It’s almost Christmas and then New Year’s Day will follow. Have you finished your Christmas shopping?
To say that this time of year is hard is an understatement. What helps me, but hurts at the same time, are the memories.
My sweetest memories are of Christmas Eve night. That is when me, Momma, Daddy, and my sister would celebrate our Christmas. We would all shower, get on our pajamas, and gather around the tree for gifts. Daddy always got Momma a special gift from a store in Hillsboro called The Jewelry Box. It was always something beautiful. I can see Momma’s face, smiling so softly. I replay the memory in my mind over and over, wishing I was back there - back sitting on the floor by the tree with them.
As sad as it is, we must move forward and face the future without them. How do we do that? I have a few tips that may help you get to the new year.
Talk it out! Find someone to talk to - a friend, family member, dog, cat, fence post. Just find someone to talk to. Talk to a professional! It is so important to find someone that is trained in your particular type of loss, grief, and that can offer you professional feedback.
Give yourself Grace in Grief! If you can’t do everything you always did - it’s okay! Be kind to yourself. Be gentle with yourself.
Journal it! Write down your thoughts, feelings, and fears. You can keep a private journal or share with a friend, or you can even throw it away. Writing had always helped me.
Be present! If you are wondering what to do to help others in grief - just be. That’s all. It’s simple. You don’t have to say a thing - just be present.
I hope these tips help you through the coming days and weeks.
Love,
Theo
Make sure to check out our tour schedule on thinktheo.com!
I have been busy with numerous television and radio interviews this month. On January 20th, we will be at Barnes & Noble in Waco, TX, from 1:00-3:00. If you are in the area, please come see us!
To say that this time of year is hard is an understatement. What helps me, but hurts at the same time, are the memories.
My sweetest memories are of Christmas Eve night. That is when me, Momma, Daddy, and my sister would celebrate our Christmas. We would all shower, get on our pajamas, and gather around the tree for gifts. Daddy always got Momma a special gift from a store in Hillsboro called The Jewelry Box. It was always something beautiful. I can see Momma’s face, smiling so softly. I replay the memory in my mind over and over, wishing I was back there - back sitting on the floor by the tree with them.
As sad as it is, we must move forward and face the future without them. How do we do that? I have a few tips that may help you get to the new year.
Talk it out! Find someone to talk to - a friend, family member, dog, cat, fence post. Just find someone to talk to. Talk to a professional! It is so important to find someone that is trained in your particular type of loss, grief, and that can offer you professional feedback.
Give yourself Grace in Grief! If you can’t do everything you always did - it’s okay! Be kind to yourself. Be gentle with yourself.
Journal it! Write down your thoughts, feelings, and fears. You can keep a private journal or share with a friend, or you can even throw it away. Writing had always helped me.
Be present! If you are wondering what to do to help others in grief - just be. That’s all. It’s simple. You don’t have to say a thing - just be present.
I hope these tips help you through the coming days and weeks.
Love,
Theo
Make sure to check out our tour schedule on thinktheo.com!
I have been busy with numerous television and radio interviews this month. On January 20th, we will be at Barnes & Noble in Waco, TX, from 1:00-3:00. If you are in the area, please come see us!
