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Barbara Falconer Newhall

Veteran journalist Barbara Falconer Newhall riffs on life as she knows it.

  • A CASE OF THE HUMAN CONDITION
  • MY EVER-CHANGING FAMILY
  • WRITING & READING
  • MY ROCKY SPIRITUAL JOURNEY
  • WIDOWED
  • FUNNY BUTTON

Widowed

Jon died unexpectedly at the age of 79. I thought we'd have many more years together. We won't.

Widowed: Life Goes On — And Some of Us Still Like It

December 18, 2021 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 5 Comments

life goes on, as with this crocosmia-sprouting-through-a-deck Like it or not, life goes on. Our 101-year-old family friend had picked up the phone to check on me. If that’s not liking life, what is?   Read more.

Widowed: Or, How to Wrestle a Christmas Tree Into Its Stand Without Calling the Neighbors for Help

December 11, 2021 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 20 Comments

watering-the-Christmas-tree

The kids are coming for Christmas. A tree is in order. But how’s an newly minted widow to wrestle a Christmas tree into its stand on her own?  Read more.

Breaking News: The Afterlife Is ‘Fantastic’

December 4, 2021 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 17 Comments

the afterlife is fantastic
This just in — the afterlife is “fantastic.” That’s the news from Jon. And he should know, he’s been in the afterlife since February. Read more.

Widowed: As He Lay Dying

November 27, 2021 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 12 Comments

as he lay dying -- but he was healthy three months earlier to hangs-quilt

I wasn’t in the hospital when Jon died. I couldn’t hold his hand or say any words as he lay dying. Did he know his life was coming to an end?  Read more.

Talk to My Deceased Husband? I Can’t Do It

November 20, 2021 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 6 Comments

man-on-recumbent-bike

Talk to my deceased husband? Some widows can. Not me. I can’t talk to Jon without going to that awful place where he is no more.  Read more.

Widowed and the We-Ness of Marriage

November 13, 2021 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 24 Comments

Father-with-two-grown-kids

I’ve been widowed nearly nine months now, and I still can’t let go of the we — the we-ness of marriage. Here’s why.  Read more.

What Do You Say When Someone Dies?

November 6, 2021 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 12 Comments

condolence-cards

What do you say when someone dies? How to console a friend? There’s not much you can say do do — except to just be there.  Read more.

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LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

The Weekend I Talked — And the Kids Listened

A traditional house in an snowy, tree lined neighborhood in southwest Minneapolis offered by Edina Realty. Photo by BF Newhall

You know your kids have turned into grown-ups when they listen to your advice. I don’t mean take your advice. I mean listen – gently and kindly – as you talk away . . . Read more.

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  • A Case of the Human Condition
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TO MY READERS

Please feel free to share links to my posts with one and all and to quote briefly from them in your own writing, remembering, of course, to attribute the quote to me and to provide a link back to this site.

My Oakland Tribune columns, btw, are reprinted by permission of the Trib. With the exception of review copies of books, I do not accept ads or freebies of any kind. Click on the "Contact" button if you have questions. Enjoy!

 

DON’T MISS!

joe-biden-mouth

Is Hamas Evil? Is Anybody Evil? Am I? Are You?

A toddler has a bandage on her forehead after hitting her head on a wall. PHoto by Barbara Newhall

The Center of the Universe Lives at Our House

Tinka Falconer at Pentwater, Michigan, 1982. Photo by BF Newhall

Why I Can’t Write My Memoir — Not the Part About My Mom Anyway

Barbara Falconer Newhall's book Wrestling with God: Stories of Doubt and Faith on sale at Book Passage bookstore, Corte Madera, California. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Journalist Kay Campbell: ‘WWG Bows to the Enduring Mystery of the Universe’

MORE DON'T MISS!

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