Where has Karen been?

I apologize for my absence here and everywhere else online.  This has not been a happy absence.

Very early in the morning on Friday, February 6th my cousin Craig Arriola fell backwards off his second story balcony and fractured his scull.  It was thirty, forty minutes before he was found, and despite the best medical care available in Dallas, Texas, Craig never regained consciousness or any level of brain functioning.  He passed away last Friday and was burried on Monday.  I have spent much of this time in Dallas grieving with my extended family.

Craig was very dear to me.  He was seven years younger, but we connected deeply when he was a baby and maintained that special connection through his 22 years of life.  I will miss him.

I am home now, and attempting to return to daily life.  Hopefully I’ll be back to posting regularly, and on topic, soon.

About Karen Rayne

Dr. Karen Rayne has been supporting parents and families since 2007 when she received her PhD in Educational Psychology. A specialist in child wellbeing, Dr. Rayne has spent much of her career supporting parents, teachers, and other adults who care for children and teenagers.

8 Comments

  1. Karen, I am so sorry for your loss.

    Tina

  2. Thank you, Tina. It’s been a hard couple of weeks. I can’t imagine going through this without the support of my amazing family and friends.

  3. I’m so sorry, Karen. Thinking of you.

  4. I too am sorry to here about your loss, and the fact that your cousin Craig’s life was unexpectedly cut short before he could live out his potential. You have my sincere condolences Karen.

    Robin Edgar

  5. Karen, I am so sorry to hear of your loss. I will keep you and your family in my thoughts and prayers. Lots of love. 🙂

  6. I’ve thought about this. As you know, we’ve both recently lost someone. And try as I might to accept it, I keep circling back to the shock of an unexpected death. For weeks leading up to receiving such news, I was doing some things and managing some things in my life that I can’t help but now realize were preparing me. Money management, my calendar, apartment care, knocking off my to-do list at work…all preparing me so that I could deal with and travel for a funeral soon. Karen, for a while I had been trying to remember a scripture and, after the funeral, I received an unexpected note from someone I didn’t even realize had my address. The scripture I’d been searching for was written inside. My heart just swelled and I simply cried. It’s bittersweet that I’ve just visited family I hadn’t all seen in years. This death of a loved one hurts but the person who passed would have been pleased. Somehow we pulled a family back together again…and God is still good. You are beautiful, my friend. I’m thinking about you. Hang in there, take care and please kiss the girls.

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