Loose Strife

There will be a funeral service at St Joseph’s Catholic Church in Shelburne Falls this Saturday morning at 10:30. (Update: music before the service will begin at about 10 o’clock.) A musical program will precede the service. A burial in Ashfield at the cemetery across from the preschool and reception will follow at our house. […]

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When I was sitting with Laura yesterday, I was playing this song in my head: “Oh it’s a long, long while from May ‘till December And the days grow short When you reach September. When the Autumn weather turns the leaves to flame One hasn’t got time For the waiting game. For the days dwindle […]

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Play this music. Tell me what you see in her eyes.

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This morning I had to break the news to my daughters. Naomi responded with textbook 3-year old comprehension about death. At one point when I explained that Laura’s body would be taken to the funeral home and later we would bury it in the ground, Naomi said, “but not her face.” “Yes, her face,” I […]

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Laura Kathleen Coleman Kulp, mother of two precious girls, wife, daughter, sister, and friend to so many far and near, died early this morning. She is, at last, free from pain and suffering. I miss her terribly. I’ll write more later. Much love.

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Thank you to so many of you who have commented here or emailed recently. It is humbling and comforting. Laura’s parents and all of her brothers and sisters, Heather, Elena, PJ and Justin, are here with us now. I truly cannot conceive of a worse fate than to lose your child and I ache for […]

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When Joe asked one of the hospice aids today what more we could do for Laura, the reply was “permission.” Laura is tenaciously hanging on. It is very hard to communicate with her, but when she is awake she often gesticulates dramatically with her hands (my favorite is when she did air quotes) and speaks […]

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The night before last (Saturday night) I began to write this post with Laura’s condition no longer seems as dire now as I felt several days ago when I wrote last. She has a remarkable ability to move about the house, sometimes rather quickly with her walker, considering that she is consuming not much more […]

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Over the last week Laura’s condition has not improved and in some ways has worsened. The upshot is that although she usually has a burst of energy about once a day, she spends the vast majority of the day resting and is no longer eating very much. Laura won’t be taking the trip to California […]

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I’m not sure why I’m writing these days. Or not. I’ve been too busy, too tired, and not very motivated to write. During the day, if the kids are at school, I’ve been outside keeping the woods from encroaching into my fields, or running errands. When the kids are home I spend my time feeding, […]

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