The Playlist

September Sunday #september #fall #sleepingcats #lazysunday #pumpkinspice #pumpkin #pumpkinscones

Five important books about grief and death. 1) The Five Invitations by Frank Ostaseski- a beautiful book written by a Zen Hospice founder -an invitation to awaken our awareness of death, which in turn can help us better wake up and fully live our lives. 2) Option B: Facing Adversity and Finding Joy, written by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant. This one is recommended for someone who has lost a spouse as Sandberg recounts the loss of her husband. 3) Bearing the Unbearable: Love, Loss and the Heartbreaking Path of Grief by Joanne Cacciatore, is brimming full of stories and suggestions, strongly recommended for those who have lost a child- but great takeaways for anyone experiencing grief and loss. 4) Crying in H Mart: A Memoir, by Michelle Zauner, recounts her childhood up through her mother’s untimely death. A page-turning read, recommended for anyone who has lost a parent. 5) Michael Hebb’s, Let’s Talk About Death (Over Dinner): An Invitation and Guide to Life’s Most Important Conversation- is an invitation to face head on the importance of the conversation surrounding death. He addresses both the importance of discussion regarding practical considerations, but also, what we fear, and what we hope surrounding our own deaths, and how we want to be remembered. An excellent read for anyone and in particular, a death denier. You can read more about these books in greater detail at www.jennifermelliott.com- under the HUBS tab: Further Reading, or link in bio. @jbrekkie (Michelle Zauner) @fiveinvitations and @frankostaseski @sherylsandberg @adamgrant @grief_doctor (Dr Joanne Cacciatore) @letstalkaboutdeath #recoveringdeathdenier #griefbooks #grief #griefjourney

Happy 4th of July 🎉and God Bless America.🇺🇸 We are so fortunate to live here in this country where opportunities are boundless, everyday has the potential to be a fresh start, and optimism is the order of the day (even if it doesn’t always feel that way.) #blessed #godblessamerica #fourthofjuly #america #bendoldmill #smokestacks

It’s here! So. Very. Excited. #selfpublished #selfpublishedauthor #book #booklover #author #writer #myheartisfull

Here is the poem in its entirety: i thank You God for most this amazing E.E. Cummings 1894-1962 i thank You God for most this amazing day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything which is natural which is infinite which is yes (i who have died am alive again today, and this is the sun’s birthday; this is the birth day of life and of love and wings: and of the gay great happening illimitably earth) how should tasting touching hearing seeing breathing any— lifted from the no of all nothing—human merely being doubt unimaginable You? (now the ears of my ears awake and now the eyes of my eyes are opened) #eecummings #poem #awake

Lately #motherson #disneyland #marypoppins #matterhornabominablesnowman #california #funtimes #makingmemories

Gave a book talk today to the lovely group of ladies at Allied Arts. Shared a little book swag with many thanks to @toosweet_cakes and Abracadabra Printing for making it great. Book coming soon! Available early April. Stay tuned for more. #authorevent #booktalk #bookswag #sweettreats #bookmark #alliedarts

In parts of the world it is spring. Flowers Color Thunderstorms Promise #spring #springforward #flowers #camelias #daffodils #northerncalifornia #california #iloveyoucalifornia #aeolia

What a great time visiting @mudlakestudios yesterday and the studio of @kirlygold along with her many talented colleagues. Pure whimsy and delight. I love the last picture displaying @kirlygold tools. Artists names listed in random order. @christineibachtel @violetoakstudio @kfstoneware @potterymamala @mtsunceramics @kirlygold @mudlakestudios and Titus Barnett-Gudde DM me if I inadvertently left out a name. 💕

Capturing winter. The last picture was a happy accident. #winter #winterwonderland #snow #bendoregon #snowing #frozen

Making things Monday. 💁‍♀️upcycled postage stamp greeting cards… #upcycle #upcycled #greetingcards #justcauseitsfun #makingthings #fun #cutandpaste #postagestamps

Happy Birthday Martin Luther King, Jr. #martinlutherking #martinlutherkingquotes #happybirthday

A misty, moisty morning. #december #misty #bend #bendoregon #morningwalk

“…there is no enjoyment like reading.” Jane Austen. Made a visit to a favorite Bend bookstore @roundaboutbooks -so many to choose from- how does one decide? Such a beautiful store! #roundaboutbooks #roundaboutbookstore #indiebookstore #loveindiebookstores #bend #bendoregon #nwx #northwestcrossing

A 2022-2023 “Golden Hour” collection.

😊 It’s that time of year again (gush). Fresh mountain mandarins from Placer County. 🍊 Thank you, Momma Joanne. @liveplacergrown @visitplacer @placercounty @mandarinfestival #mandarins #boxofgoodness #thankyoumom #toyourhealth #penryn #penrynca #satsumamandarin

Sunrise…awe #sunrise #awe #creative #creation #morning

One of my favorites, from Carlo Rovelli’s, The Order of Time. #love #affection #absence #carlorovelli #sorrow #beautiful #grief #griefjourney #meaningtolife

And now It begins… Family Football Fresh turkey or frozen? Feasting Fixins’…all of them Friendly phone calls Feeling full Films at the movie theater Friday comes Finding a parking spot Fueling the economy Fishing out ornaments Frocking the tree I can’t think of any more “F” words. Well, on second thought, maybe I can. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Favorites from a recent visit to the Portland Art Museum’s, Black Artists of Oregon. Loved this exhibit! 💕 @robert_colescott #charlottelewis #davidornettecherry #ralphchessé @natalie_m_ball @mosleywotta #jlquenton #philomonreid #rupertkinnard #ebinlee #blackartists #artexhibit #portlandoregon #portlandartmuseum

Subbing in a high school class today: Honors Modern World History. I’m correcting this recent geography test. It’s matching. Asia, The Middle East and their respective bodies of water. I’ve included the answer key for you. Speaking for myself, I would definitely need to study up. 🤔 #worldgeography #knowyourgeography #substituteteacher #itsneverdull #notboring #studyup

And now… a tumbleweed rolling across the pasture a scourge to some a thing of beauty to one a cowboy’s blossom a fractal of nature repeating the pattern of blood in our veins a harbinger of winter of shorter days coming. . . . I’ve been thinking about fractals lately. #fractals #fractalsinnature #tumbleweed #patternsinnature #patterns #winteriscoming

More on this soon with the forthcoming book, On Grief: A Love Letter from a Recovering Death Denier. This quote says it all. #recoveringdeathdenier #deathdeniernomore #grief #shaktigawain

Morning walk #fall #autumn #ontheranch

Welcome to my Instagram. Why am I here? Here’s why: To share the stories that I keep telling over and over again. To entertain, to smile, to heal, to help, to remind, to encourage, to delight, to incite inspiration, reflection, and improvement. To share good stuff about travel, family, food, conversations, places, people, discoveries, and small unnoticed things. To encourage one to explore what it means to live better, age better, grieve better, and die better. You might get some ideas- good ones, maybe. I hope you’ll feel restored, and if I’m lucky, you’ll keep reading. #grief #livingwell #agingwell #dyingwell #writer #makerofthings #welcome #memoir #grievebetter #grievebettertogether #grieveoutloud #deathdeniernomore