Andrea Patten - Useful ideas made simple.

Parenting, Special Topics

Cheers: It’s Mothers Day

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I remember standing at the front of a room full of dozens of sad, dejected women. We were in the cafeteria of an inpatient addiction treatment facility and it was mothers day. Some of the women had known me for a few weeks, others not at all. I had no idea what they were expecting of me when I said, “Wow. A day to make us feel like lousy mothers and lousier daughters: show of hands, how may of you think this holiday was invented by…

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Self care, Special Topics

Some Thoughts About Grief: Spoiler Alert — It Sucks

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Grief sucks. There is nothing that prepared me for the loss of my husband. Although he was older than I, my denial of the possibility of being pre-deceased held steady. Afterall, he was healthy and freakishly strong — an athlete by temperament and training. Even a little discipline from time to time. With the exception of the annual fried baloney sandwich and pretzels for Steelers games, some of his self-care habits still reflected that history. No smoking. No drinking. Regular exercise. We often joked that those…

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May 7, 2013
Thinking

In Loving Memory of Lawrence E. Bienemann

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Lawrence “Larry” E. Bienemann, 81, of Amelia Island, passed away on April 10, 2024, at Baptist Medical Center in Jacksonville following a brief illness. He was surrounded by his loving family. Born in 1943 to Lawrence and Elizabeth (Wirth), he grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and had a great relationship with his cousins, who were his close friends. He was an outstanding baseball player who played at Alliance College, where he studied business. Larry was a successful healthcare executive and served as co-founder and CEO…

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