Home & Blog | Lynne Baab

Three grief moments and how I responded

Lynne Baab • Friday October 23 2026

Between October 5 and 19, I tried on a new garment: “solo traveler on a road trip.” I drove down to California in a rented car and flew home. I felt intense grief three times on the trip.

1. Sadness. I visited the Hilbert Museum of California Art in Orange, California, because it is frequently mentioned in American Art Review, a magazine my late husband Dave subscribed to. In the pages of that magazine, I’ve seen many beautiful paintings by California artists. The museum is wonderful, with lots of gorgeous paintings in its permanent collection. A surprising number of them are watercolors, and when...

Read full article »

Doing things badly as a component of grief

Lynne Baab • Thursday October 15 2026

In this recent series on grief, I have mentioned several times my feelings of failure for how hard caregiving was for me in the months leading up to the passing of husband, Dave. A blog post I wrote five years ago came to mind, based on a quotation from G. K. Chesterton about the value of doing things badly. As a person on a grief journey, I found it intriguing to re-read the quotation and my reflections on it. Maybe you will, too. Or maybe this post will help you pray more deeply for people you know who are grieving and...

Read full article »

Grief as a dressing room

Lynne Baab • Thursday October 1 2026

I’ve been playing around with word pictures that help me access components of grief. “A world on fire” came from the subtitle of a book that had nothing to do with grief. I just resonated with the subtitle. t feels like my personal world has been on fire for a decade. A small fire at first, then larger and larger. For the past two years, the fire raged. Mercifully, that fire is subsiding.

“Though I cannot see the sun, though the stars have disappeared, I believe God.” These words come from a vivid song that a friend sent me. Yes, grief can feel like...

Read full article »

A story of unusual grief

Lynne Baab • Thursday September 24 2026

Helen’s mother died two years ago. In the three or four years before her death, Helen could tell that her mother was upset with her but couldn’t figure out why. Her mother wouldn’t talk about it. After her mother’s death, Helen wanted to have an in-depth conversation with her father about it. Before she could have that conversation, her father took his life, leaving Helen with even more questions.

Helen’s father was 89 and had multiple complicated health issues. His wife of 60 years was gone. In addition, two of his three close, life-long friends had recently passed. I can see why...

Read full article »

<< Newer | Older >>