Mary Catherine Fesler

Swimming in Oatmeal Mary Catherine Fesler

Becoming a bereaved parent can feel like swimming in oatmeal. Gut-wrenching with a side of terror as your begin the rest of your life. Every parent must find their way through the grief one way or another. This is a testimonial to one woman surviving the loss of a son in the only way she knows how; with family and humor, usually at the most inappropriate times. Mary Catherine shares her story of bereavement with warmth and humor, even when things seem most bleak. Writing about three generations of kinfolk, who were also bereaved parents, she shares her memories attending family funerals with her sister, including the comical scattering of their mother's ashes gone awry. Along with professional grief counseling and a written prescription for verbal freedom, she was reminded how to make the best of horrific circumstances.