Lisa Khuraibet

Lisa lost her father in 1988 as he took his own life. She suffered for years with the memory of it. He died on her wedding anniversary. Fast forward twenty-five years later., she divorced her husband and found herself starting over; quite literally. Lisa took this as a chance to begin writing about her experience. She also sells facial products through Rodan + Fields.

Articles:

The Rose Bush: A Sign From Dad

As we approach February, I look out my kitchen window and see something that has caught my eye. It is a rose bush in bloom. This bush has been blooming throughout the winter. I first noticed it around Christmas time. Hmmm, peculiar. It’s never bloomed in the past. Yes, I live in Las Vegas but it has definitely been cold here – some nights, dipping down into the thirties. So, what is up with this crazy rose bush? To me, it is a sign. A sign that my father is looking down and pleased with my life. You see, he […]

Merry Christmas, Dad!

I sat in my car. I wasn’t sure I had the nerve to do it. I looked at the letter I held in my hand. Would this work? Could I possibly find peace after 26 years, merely by reading a letter aloud? It was a suggestion by a friend. Write your dad a letter and tell him the good and the bad. Talk to him, and pray for healing and forgiveness. I took out the letter and looked at it. I read it aloud. Funny, I didn’t feel any different. I was very nervous; afraid someone might see me and […]

It’s That Time of Year…Again

The clocks have been turned back and the weather is changing, signaling the end of summer and our moving into a new season. Much like a new season during the year, so it is in life. Fall is particularly difficult for many people because we are thrust into a world of holidays; Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and the New Year. Each one holds a promise all its own, with messages of faith, gratitude, and hope. But what if we aren’t feeling those things? What if we are too sad to feel the presence of God in […]

Joan Rivers’ Last Days Reminds Us Importance of Living Wills

This week, the world lost another comedic icon – Joan Rivers. I must confess, I was sad at the passing of this woman. I grew up watching her on television. It was announced that she was on life support. To imagine a woman this vital on a ventilator is almost unthinkable. And yet, every day, many are on life support. So it brings to mind the question, “Do you have a living will?” In this day and age, it is routine for this question to be asked upon a hospital admission. However in 1990, it wasn’t. My grandmother, who was […]

Robin Williams’ Suicide Brings Back Difficult Memories

The headlines scream, “Coroner: Robin Williams Death Ruled Suicide by Asphyxiation.” I suppose there’s a bit of a morbid fascination that comes from the death of a celebrity; particularly when the celebrity is young or dies in a particularly salacious way. Robin Williams’ death is one of those. He was both young and his death was by his own hand, a death which carries with it a certain stigma. Undoubtedly, the public is questioning how one who was such a comedic genius could fall victim to a depression so deep that he could commit suicide? And yet, he was more […]

Letter to a Lost Father

Dear Dad, It’s been 26 years since we last celebrated Father’s Day together. I think about your time here on Earth and I rejoice in your spirit. Born in the early 1900’s, you saw so many things. You were raised Jewish, yet you chose to let us be who we were; it did not matter to you if we were Jewish or Christian, as long as we had a faith in God. I remember your love of Christmas trees and we had one every year, just because you didn’t. You said you wanted one as a child and couldn’t have […]

Moving Forward After a Suicide

Today is January 10. It is a date that holds significance; it is the day my father died by suicide. It will be 25 years since his passing and yet, this year feels particularly difficult for me. Perhaps it is the realization that I lost him when I was a young woman or that I could have easily gone that way as I was going through my own divorce. I’m not sure what it is. It could just be the haunting memory of it. I remember when I got the phone call. My mother’s friend called. I did not believe […]

The Christmas Tree

My mother was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer over Labor Day week-end of 2007. It was a startling diagnosis. She already had Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and frankly, I figured that would exempt her from any further serious lung disease. I was wrong. It was a long fall, with visits in and out of the hospital. Her first stay was over six weeks. Treatment for the cancer took its toll on her liver and kidneys. We weren’t sure she was going to make it. But everyone underestimated her will to live and the fight in her; my mother […]

Bereavement and the Holidays: How to Celebrate When you Don’t Feel Like Celebrating

Often times, we are reminded of our loved ones during the holidays. It is during holidays that, no matter how much we feel we have healed that our bereavement hits the hardest. I remember when my mother passed away; December 21. Our family was not only sharing in our bereavement but also facing the holidays within days. The adults were in a quandary – grieve or continue with life as we knew it for the sake of our children. I believed that our mom would have wanted us to have Christmas as we had planned, and everyone agreed. She wouldn’t […]