I will design and build a rose garden inspired by Jackie Kennedy's White House Rose Garden as it was before a concrete pad replaced the lawn.
When a Heart Breaks: The Ballad of Colorado, a Poem
to think on that day when a shooting occurred in Colorado that, it was in the same school district as Columbine?
Grief: Past the Days of the Anglerfish to Nemo
Grief will change you in ways you never expect. Some say grief is an ocean. A truth exists in this extended metaphor. In the beginning—and sometimes for longer—you live in the ebony depths of the ocean where only the best cameras capture pictures of its creations. Some friends drop off because the depths are too… Continue reading Grief: Past the Days of the Anglerfish to Nemo
Thunderstorm, a Poem
Darling, come to me as the clouds gather. Be unafraid to view the sky. It wants you to look away from the doom and gray. Hold tight and fear not, for the shades of bars on windows, city streets slick after rain, and the slate-snow after tires and dirt blend it color clouds that want you to cry.
How Gardening Eases Mental Health Struggles
When we face an injury or illness, we hope the doctor will ease the pain or cure it. But, with mental health struggles, sometimes there is not a cure. There is only something to ease the pain.
Bereaved Mother’s Day – Almost 5 Years
In my darkest moments, this is important to remember on today, Bereaved Mother's Day. Mothers, parents, grandparents, and siblings who have suffered through the unimaginable pain and loss will experience different stepping stones in their grief journey.
It: a Poem
I am tired of it because I’ve lost enough. “First they came …” Do you know those words?
You Need to Listen to “The Night We Met” if You Haven’t
I must pay a debt of service. I must perform good acts with a genuine heart, so I am worthy of seeing my daughter again, and in my mind, have paid some type of price for the pain she had suffered.
Ready, Set, Match
I love my son more than anything in the world. To support a dangerous ideology, which would seek to dehumanize children, teens, and adults like my son is not and never will be right. There is not a right or left-winged news station quote. The source material for me to cite is in my own flesh and blood.
Winter Progress in the Gardens
Throughout the winter, I have focused on the Winter Garden of Arendelle, while adding evergreens, conifers, and winter interest plants in other gardens, too. When I look at the gardens, I want to see color year round.
Trauma Dumping, a Poem
Today, I share a poem on a term about which I have written before. This time I read this poem, "Trauma Dumping," in Corrie's Butterfly Garden.
All the Garden Favorites I’ve Loved Before
During the holiday season, I put up 10 luminaries at the back of the Arendelle Garden with evergreens I have planted throughout 2024 honoring our daughter Corrie's tenth birthday on December 10. In the time between Christmas and the New Year when it pours rain outside, snow covers your driveway, or all of the wintry… Continue reading All the Garden Favorites I’ve Loved Before
Hot Sauce to my Chicken Dip
At the end of the day, I want to be around him more than anyone else because he is my best friend.
Ways to Support those Grieving during the Holidays
The way we grieve is personal. An accepted fact about grief is that everyone grieves differently. What seems the hardest to understand is how people grieving is denormalized in society, and how we are sometimes ousted from some relationships when we unveil our grief. In our early stages of grief, maybe we feel shock, mourn,… Continue reading Ways to Support those Grieving during the Holidays
My Testimony to Faith
I plan for this to be the one time I write publicly in some depth about faith. I hope that it will hold true.
More than Gardening
This raised bed makes the experience more than just gardening.
The Unexpected Journey
I remember a woman at one of my Compassionate Friends--an international support group for parents, grandparents, and siblings who have lost a child/ brother/ sister--said that, with time, your grief journey will bring you gifts you never imagined. Now if you had the choice to get your child back, of course, you would take it, but this is the path given to us.
Gro-Rite Garden Beds: My New Garden Adventure
Check out how I build the Gro-Rite Garden bed in my new gardening adventure.
I Wish You a Happy Thanksgiving for the Holiday You Need
I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving for the holiday you need; not the one Hallmark and commercials advertise.
When Do You Find the Time?
People garden, not as a matter of the mind, but as a connection to the heart.
Awake: A Poem for You
"I can feel when one withdrawals their presence and friendship. It is not for us to prove to them our worth and craftsmanship."
In the Words of Penelope, a Poem for all Women
There are days I love you, and remember the feeling—though how fleeting it seems now when the words of men and the women bending to them pour down like rain in a torrent in the heart of a hurricane. Recall every moment I have loved you from the time our daughter opened hereyes, and the… Continue reading In the Words of Penelope, a Poem for all Women
How to Find True Balance
We only have so much time on this planet. No matter what you believe, we are in a limited time option. What do you wish to accomplish with it?
Appreciation for the Boys in my Life
My appreciation for the men and boys in my life centers around a one little girl. Without them, I would not have found a way forward to live and strive, as Corrie dwells in heaven.
Corrie’s Arendelle Garden on Labor Day
I remember watching Gardeners World when the host, Monty Don, described this time of year like the grand crescendo of a symphony. It wasn't those exact words on this BBC produced show.
Hope for us to All Remember our Humanity to November
Watching college football and returning home to Carolina with my educational doctorate, something important occurred to me. This time of year offers many thoughts. The words “pumpkin spice latte” are on minds of coffee fans at their favorite locations, and there’s the ideal of tinted leaves, bonfires, a little wind, and beautiful afternoons. It encourages—in some cases causes to dread—time with family during Thanksgiving and Christmas. While it sounds too early, we all consider our autumn plans.
“Celebrate We Will”: Garden Number 10
In fact, I believe we should celebrate birthdays always.
The Writer’s Block Breaks
We’ll see the changing of the colors, dear, no matter when it is: the swan emerging from the river before summer’s end when one more calla lily portrays its plumes.
The Promise of the Peace Roses
But I remembered my promise with the Peace Roses.
I Remember What It is to Love a Daughter
Did you know I loved my daughter so much that I did everything I could to find her the blue Sleeping Beauty dress for her Halloween costume when she was three? I will speak of the quality of the life she lived because I know what it is to love, adore, and even defend my daughter.
Let’s Arrange some Summer Flowers
When I garden--whether I move plants, put down dirt, or cut flowers--I feel reconnected with the world. It recenters me.
When the Lilies Bloom
I wish I could write of love that everyday is when the lilies bloom, and its yellow streaks reminds us of honeysuckles at dawn in June when the hummingbirds begin to greet the warmth of Earth. We, who have loved, all wish this of love, and for those who love long after us.
Gardening through Grief
I posted my first two posts on our garden and farm blog Corrie's Acres Farm and Photography. I shared pictures after the rain, and my latest no dig project.
A Look at the Big 3 Gardens
Whether they're experienced gardeners or a version of myself four years ago (without any knowledge); they're taken aback that I have not one--but nine gardens . How do I have the time?
Making Changes: No Crystal Stair
Let's discuss making changes, why they're important, and for you to know you're never alone.
Thank You to my Ramblin’ Boys
But I chose the Kenny Chesney version because the emotion with which he performed expresses the outpouring of love I possess for Hayes and John, my boys. It says, to me, no matter what, we're coming home where we can be ourselves. We can be the most unadorned version of ourselves without worry about what anyone says or judgement we might face in other circumstances.
Getting Real in Grief, Gardening, and Giving Yourself Grace
Love doesn't get lost in the mail. Love does not go to the spam folder. Love isn't a video lost in internet searches. Love is now. Love is yesterday. Love is today, and it is the future.
Take Pride in Your Gardens
... simply stand back and enjoy your garden. Take pride in the world or retreat you've created. It doesn't matter if you have a small space, indoor plants, all sun, or a lot of shade.
Our Finest Hour
Maybe we identify it through promotion, when our child's born, adopting the dog, cat or other pet we always wanted. Perhaps it's realizing a dream to attend the Eras Tour with Taylor Swift, or attending a Beyonce concert.
How my Students Inspired Me
Kids will inspire you if you allow them.
The Summer Change in the Arendelle Garden Beds
As I discuss in today's TikTok video I made about the side bed in Corrie's Arendelle Garden, my daughter inspired me. I never had an interest. The act of gardening saved me, gave me an outlet for my grief, and also released a part of Corrie back into the world.
A Snake on the Front Porch
https://videopress.com/v/DpysqLGb?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true John once said, "There was a time Becca would kill an artificial plant." I took a gamble this week. I began making content about Corrie's gardens and gardening on TikTok. I hope to share her gardens, what I've learned, and how the act of care for plants and gardens saved my life. Without the… Continue reading A Snake on the Front Porch
Videos from Corrie Acres and her Gardens
I've started playing around with garden video and picture content on my TikTok channel @Corrie's_Mommae.
Four Years to the Day
write, share videos and pictures of Corrie, and excerpts from her poems; not to forever revisit or stay in the darkness, but we must remember my family and I had to--and sometimes still--travel through this heartbreak and hardship to reach some new light.
Coming Up Calla Lilies
Some Calla Lilies my husband bought for me last weekend in honor of Mother's Day and my birthday, which I picked out at my favorite nursery, S &. K Greenhouse. I've been cautious with roses for two years, simple because of the Japanese beetles. While I've written about my concerns about Japanese beetles and the… Continue reading Coming Up Calla Lilies
For Mothers and Daughters, Here and Gone
A view of the house and two shade gardens from the Arendelle Garden on Friday. It's here ... whether we're ready for it or not. No longer just around the corner, it's time to mark the moment for Mom. For some, Mother's Day marks the beginning of planting season for gardeners in colder regions, while… Continue reading For Mothers and Daughters, Here and Gone
After the Rain: Corrie’s Gardens
Almost four years ... almost four since Corrie earned her wings. For three of those four years, I struggled with the coming of spring. In 2021, 2022, and even last year, I felt the tick of March ... April ... May.
Corrie’s Gardens Talk
As Corrie's fourth angel anniversary approaches this month, I share pictures from the end of April to today. I decided to let Corrie's gardens and flowers speak for themselves.
For the Beauty
"For the Beauty of the Earth" was always a hymn that could calm me. No matter how I felt at church, or if I was coming out of a nap as a young child during service, this song calmed me. It gave my mind an instant image of nature in every geography. I could pictures… Continue reading For the Beauty
Corrie's Season 