Kookie Cut-Outs by Rachel Britz

This weekend I was in San Diego as a guest of Soaring Spirits Loss Foundation’s annual Camp Widow event. A weekend dedicated for widows across the country to unify as brothers and sisters who have embarked on a pilgrimage they did not choose. It was chosen for them and because of their loss it has defiled many of their hopes and dreams.

For the past couple years my husband and I have been given the privilege to educate and empower campers in the area of money and financial planning. This focus over the years, of helping people who have gone through a loss, has been one of the best assets I can foresee into my own life and marriage.

It has brought clarity to life and a determined effort to live out each day fully. Full of forgiveness, lots of intentional love, and the perspective to breath through times of adversity. If anything ever happens to me { aka: when I die }, I do not want to have any regrets.

Yesterday morning I woke early, brewed my first cup of coffee, and pulled out my notes for our presentation. All was quiet. Until slowly, a rumbling of voices began reverberating through the wall of my hotel room. It was our neighbors. They were fighting. In short order the voices had escalated to the point of audible understanding. I sat on the edge of my bed looking around for a place to hide but there was no escape. I was just an innocent bystander drawn into the vile contempt this husband and wife had for one another.

Their problems were real. Kids, money, life, jealousy stuff. Yeah, I get it. That’s real. That’s me. That’s my marriage at times. 

Except, the part that really haunted me was the degradation in their words. The slinging blade of defamation. Their eagerness to destroy was palpable. I wanted to rush over and knock on their door, I wanted to tell them that today could be the day, the very last day you might ever have with one another. I imagined sitting in between them sharing a few stories from friends who have endured epic loss, friends who have regrets. They didn’t know that day would be the last.  

Living each and every day intentional is tough stuff. It requires first the ability to walk with our { inner } eyes wide open. Seeing in a sense the world, our world, with a legacy lens. 


“My deepest belief is that to live as if we’re dying can set us free. Dying people teach you to pay attention and to forgive and not sweat the small things.” -Anne Lamott


There are plenty of moments where I wake with a burst. I forget everything I’ve learned. I stomp, I order, I am unwise, and I am unkind to the treasures under my roof. I simply, forget. If not for the quotes and verses and images I have deliberately displayed for plain view I just may spend the whole day absentminded. 

Thankfulness. 

Be Here Now. 

Family is a Gift. 

Be Joyful. 

Those subtle reminders help me remember…if anything ever happens to me, how I want my one chance life to be lived. No regrets, no regrets!