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You are here: Home / Archives for Losing My Dad

Beyond Flowers And Food: There’s Only So Much Lasagna You Can Eat In A Crisis

October 10, 2019 By Christine Leave a Comment

Bereavement gifts

On the day my father died, I drove to work on that crisp October morning with my mind fixated on the pumpkin spice coffee I was going to treat myself to on the way. “Maybe a muffin, too,” I thought. Why not?  I bustled into the office where I was subbing as a school nurse […]

Filed Under: Losing My Dad Tagged With: grief, grief sucks, grieving

“Hootie and The Blowfish” Helped Me Grieve The Loss of My Dad

August 26, 2019 By Christine 2 Comments

Hootie

When I was in college, I fell in love with a guy named Hootie. And yes, back then, country music mega star Darius Rucker was known as Hootie, and yes, I realize that I’m showing my age when I call him Hootie. On any given day in my dorm room circa mid 1990s, the sounds […]

Filed Under: Losing My Dad Tagged With: grief, grieving

I Parent My Teens Through The Lens of Grieving. And It Sucks.

March 24, 2019 By Christine 1 Comment

Grieving

My teenaged son walked in the door from school and I caught a glimpse of my father. It was fleeting, lasting only milliseconds, but for a tiny moment in time, I could see the way my father’s features had melded with my son’s. And, as it happens during those moments, my heart broke a little […]

Filed Under: Losing My Dad Tagged With: grief, teenagers, teens

When Cancer Came To My Family, The Hidden Stresses Were Surprising

February 6, 2019 By Christine 2 Comments

Cancer related stresses

I was compensated by Med-IQ through educational grants from AbbVie, Astellas, and Genentech to write about managing distress for cancer patients and their caregivers.  All opinions are my own. When my phone buzzed in my pocket, I was filing papers on a brisk January morning. I smiled when I saw my Dad’s number pop up on my […]

Filed Under: Losing My Dad, Uncategorized Tagged With: grief, grieving

My Father Died And My Kids Had Questions I Wasn’t Prepared To Answer

April 22, 2018 By Christine 1 Comment

It is often said that to really experience life, you should see it through the eyes of a child. Never is that more true than when there is a death in the family. On October 4, 2012, my father passed away expectedly unexpectedly. He had been battling esophageal cancer for 9 months and while doing […]

Filed Under: Losing My Dad Tagged With: grief

Four Words That Helped My Find My Faith Again

September 21, 2016 By Christine 11 Comments

Faith

My father died unexpectedly in October 2012 and, in the days that followed his death, I wandered around in a fog. I went through the motions of helping my family arrange his funeral and I did what I could to put my grief aside to help the Fruit Loops manage their shock and hurt. I […]

Filed Under: Losing My Dad

The Day I Listened To The Voices In My Head

October 20, 2015 By Christine 9 Comments

I can still see her as she barreled in the door on a bright Fall day, ponytails swishing, a jumbled mass of pink, mismatched stripes and costume jewelry. She was fresh out of school and had sprinted the entire way home without breaking a sweat.  As she did every single day, she burst into the […]

Filed Under: Losing My Dad Tagged With: grief, losing my dad, the voice

The Day I Met Tom Brokaw. Sort of.

June 3, 2015 By Christine 4 Comments

When I was eight years old, my dad asked me if I wanted to skip school for the day and tag along on some of his business calls in New York City.  My eight year old ears could barely believe what they were hearing:  I’d always heard about the mysterious New York City and I couldn’t […]

Filed Under: Losing My Dad, The Keeper Is A Guest!, The Keeper News Tagged With: pinch me, Today Show, Tom Brokaw

The Call

September 30, 2014 By Christine 37 Comments

The Call comes when you are wearing a smart denim dress and totes adorbs leopard shoes, while you are sipping the pumpkin coffee you grabbed on the way to work. Your father had a bad night. We are taking him to the hospital now. I’ll keep you posted. The Call comes when your Hubby is […]

Filed Under: Losing My Dad Tagged With: death sucks

ApPARENT Loss

July 30, 2014 By Christine 37 Comments

In the last six months, I’ve had seven friends lose their mothers unexpectedly, the most recent of which was this past Friday. Seven friends.  That boils down to *almost* once a month since the beginning of the year that I’ve gotten a phone call that a friend is in crisis. Seven close friends who have […]

Filed Under: Losing My Dad Tagged With: death, friendship, grief

Road Trips Were Different When I Was A Teen And I’m Grateful

June 11, 2014 By Christine 2 Comments

Arizona open road

My dad loved a good road trip. When I was young, he’d spend months planning cross country trips for us to take every July. Since this was in the era before smart phones, Expedia.com and Google, he’d plan every trip with an actual map, usually on the john. He’d collect articles during the year of […]

Filed Under: Losing My Dad Tagged With: dad, grief, loss, road trip

DYING LAUGHING

March 10, 2014 By Christine 29 Comments

When you lose a loved one, the funeral process is, at best, bewildering, exhausting and eye opening.  You literally go from having had a conversation with your loved one the day before to deciding how many people you need to feed at a meal after the funeral service in a matter of hours.  You make […]

Filed Under: Losing My Dad Tagged With: dads, funerals, grief

Love Is Courtesy Flushes And Toddlers Who Vomit (Screw You, Hallmark)

February 13, 2014 By Christine 3 Comments

Screw you, Hallmark

One of the many endearing gestures my dad used to do for my mom involved Love Is cartoons. For those of you who aren’t familiar, these cartoons appeared in newspapers across the country and featured two cute, cupid style lovers and a sentimental phrase underneath. My dad used to leave them for my mom, particularly […]

Filed Under: Behind Closed Doors, Losing My Dad Tagged With: love, love is, marriage

The 8 Simple Rules My Dad Taught Me Before He Died

June 15, 2013 By Christine Leave a Comment

My father was a piece of work. He was kind and he had a scathing tongue. He was thoughtful and he never forgot a transgression.  He had the memory of an elephant yet could never understand Facebook. He lived in Texas with a thick, unapologetic Boston accent and he was a Yankee in a sea of […]

Filed Under: Losing My Dad Tagged With: dad, grief

Four Burkes and A Funeral

April 6, 2013 By Christine 6 Comments

It is often said that to really experience life, you should see it through the eyes of a child.  Never is that more true than when there is a death in the family. On October 4, 2012, my father passed away expectedly unexpectedly, if that makes sense.  He had been battling esophageal cancer for 9 […]

Filed Under: Losing My Dad Tagged With: funeral, humor

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