Hi Prairie Sisters! It’s me, Sandy Peckinpah. For those of you who don’t know me, I’ve had the privilege of being a part of Modern Prairie almost since the beginning. But it goes waaaaay back even further. I’m here because my beloved Best Friend of nearly 35 years is Melissa Gilbert. Together we have traversed a lot of life experiences, monumental, life-changing experiences. Melissa once shared that our friendship is like a pearl necklace… the pearls are the good times, the births, the life achievements, the weddings, and even the simple joys like fixing dinner together while we watched our children grow… and now grandchildren! We are both “Nana!” The knots in the necklace are what hold the pearls together… those are the tough times, the life transitions, the losses, the sorrows, and the struggles we all know so well. We’ve done it all… together…. And I simply can’t imagine life without her. ❤️ I am blessed to be a part of Modern Prairie because I get to share this current act of my life with you, and once again…. Melissa is right by my side, through it all. I’m so blessed that Melissa and Nicole (lucky me, I have Nicloe now too!) asked me to run a group called HEART TO HEART. It has been my joy to host this event twice a month for over 2 years on Modern Prairie through Zoom. We have lively, insightful discussions about those life transitions that pop up as we enter our seasoned years. I’ve been many things in my life… I can use labels like wife, mother, writer, business owner, divorcee, and now sadly widowed… the list goes on… but it’s the circumstances behind those labels that have challenged me to be who I am today. The most transforming for me was the loss of my beloved son, Garrett, when he was just 16 years old. The impact it had on me was devastating, and yet it was also an opportunity to become a more compassionate, caring person. Melissa was there with me through the whole process of grieving and the evolution of the person I had to become to live my life successfully while navigating this tragic loss. I knew my other 3 children needed a “whole” mom, and they were my reason for healing, so I was determined to rise up. “The greatest gift you can give yourself is to heal” And it’s also the greatest gift you can give those you love. I read every book I could on grieving loss, and I studied at the Grief Recovery Institute in Los Angeles and received my certification. I also began writing daily in a journal. It was my safe place, my solitude, the beginning of learning how to live my daily life without my son. But, I learned that he is with me. Love never dies, and he is always in my heart, loving me every single day. All of this became a book that I’m very proud of because it now helps other people who have lost a child. My son’s death had meaning, it kept his spirit very much alive… and in that I found healing and purpose. Melissa wrote the most poignant foreward for the book and it has been published for many years now, even translated for parents in China. Since then, I’ve lived many chapters of life that I continue to share on Heart to Heart so that we stimulate conversations and revelations for those of you who are in the “Zoom Room” together. And… we have fun! I love telling my stories, and so many include my treasured BFF. Won’t you join me, along with my dear co-host @AmberS…(sign up under the “Upcoming Events” tab…. I think you’ll really enjoy it! ❤️ Much love to all of you! Sandy PS: that second photo is of us, along with my daughter, Julianne, in Times Square this last March! Melissa is her beloved Godmother.

Posted by sandypeckinpah at 2025-07-29 22:28:35 UTC