Tag Archives: death

An Unsent Letter to my Kids

Posted on May 8, 2015 by Karen Hopkins

Written in the 3rd week of August 2014: I woke up too early this morning. I was outside in time to put the trash to the street at 6:30. I walked down the hill with Michael to cut mesquite. Michael … Continue reading →

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The widows and the fatherless

Posted on March 30, 2015 by Karen Hopkins

How often are the widows and the fatherless mentioned in scripture? Look out for those poor widows and judge the fatherless righteously. It’s there, over and over again. Now I know who we are and why we need looking after. … Continue reading →

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Six months

Posted on February 2, 2015 by Karen Hopkins

Six months. Where did they go? It has been the longest and the shortest six months in my life. Six months since my husband died. Forty years together, you don’t adjust to losing that overnight. But it literally happened overnight. … Continue reading →

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Death, Ritual and the Funeral

Posted on October 11, 2014 by Karen Hopkins

It has been two months and ten days since my husband died. In five more days it will be two months since his funeral. When he died unexpectedly in Lima, Peru I was asked over and over again why I … Continue reading →

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Two Months

Posted on October 2, 2014 by Karen Hopkins

Two months ago today my husband died. It seems like forever, it seems like yesterday. My son and I went to visit a woman last week who I have been friends with for more than ten years. She was already … Continue reading →

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Try Not to Die in Peru

Posted on September 27, 2014 by Karen Hopkins

To be fair, try not to die in a foreign country. I don’t think Peru has cornered the market on red tape. Every country has its own policies and bureaucracy when it comes to dealing with death, and the US … Continue reading →

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The Long Way Home

Posted on September 2, 2014 by Karen Hopkins

August 1.  After spending a week in Cusco, Peru walking up and down the streets, shopping in the markets, taking photos of stone walls and immersing ourselves in Inca history and culture we flew back to Lima, Peru with a … Continue reading →

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Would You Kill a Mouse?

Posted on May 30, 2014 by Karen Hopkins

On May 10, 2014 the Wall Street Journal ran an article on market economics  and its negative effect on morals.  To actually test this commonly accepted idea two German economists, Falk and Szech conducted an experiment in which they gave participants ten euros (about … Continue reading →

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The Chameleon

Posted on February 1, 2014 by Karen Hopkins

January’s short story contest theme was metamorphosis. The story had to include a reptile, a change, and a surprise.  I thought of Kafka and the salesman who turns into a cockroach.  But more realistically it is growing old that’s hard … Continue reading →

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My life as a Dream

Posted on October 21, 2013 by Karen Hopkins

Last night as I was sleeping I looked and  saw myself in a dream.  I was sitting on a rocky outcropping, privileged to stop and rest for a time in the warmth of the sun. I felt the sun’s rays … Continue reading →

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