Everyone has thoughts about his or her mortality. For our family, we were forced to think about this quite often as we saw my wife go through her illness. During my wife’s illness, I would lay in bed, and wonder what life would be like if Lyn would not experience healing. At first, when those…
Author: Jeff Koch
Thank you for checking out This Side of Sunshine! I have had a variety of life experiences. I have been a public speaker, firefighter, minister, non-profit board-member, writer, blogger, college professor, and government administrator. I am a father of three, a grandfather of two, and was the husband to Lyn for nearly 30 years.
In 2019 Lyn passed away, so it is my honor to write a blog about what we learned about life, love, cancer, family, friends, laughter, faith, eternity, grief, and hope. During her journey, we learned how important it was to live in the present, but also keep moving forward in life. This blog is about what we learned, but it's also about how to move forward through grief after loss.
I have a Bachelor of Arts in Religion from the University of Sioux Falls, and a Master of Divinity from Sioux Falls Seminary, Sioux Falls, SD.
Lynette Marie Koch: April 21, 1968 – June 13, 2019
A year ago, I had to say goodbye to the woman I met on June 22, 1986. I first met Lyn at a pool party with a bunch of my guy friends. Lyn was brought over to hangout, and I am pretty sure she was mortified of the immaturity she observed that day. It’s no…
Celebrating and Giving is Important
Just days ago, on April 21, it would have been my wife’s 52nd birthday. I cut roses from her rose garden in the backyard and took them to the cemetery. I went and purchased a birthday card and tucked two pieces of chocolate into the card. I took a chair to the cemetery and sat…
Happy Easter
For the first time in 33 years, my Easter will look very differently this year. Lyn and I spent thirty-two Easters together, and of course most of them with my children, and extended family as well. Everyone I have spoken with talks about the “firsts”—the first year, the first anniversary, the first birthday, and the…
Banking, Bills, Passwords: Being Prepared for Death
I think it is safe to say that there are some things in life that we take for granted. We know the sun will rise. We generally feel that when we sit in a chair, that the chair will support us. We also have many things in life that we just know from past experience…
Being a Medical Advocate for Your Partner
Whenever one experiences a jolting change in life, it sends a person into an area where they rapidly attempt to make sense of what happened. When a crisis in life comes, it is beyond confusing. Some people experience depression, some are confused, upset, and angry. For others, it can lead down a dark path that…
Connecting With Others Through Our Story
When Lyn became ill, it changed our lives, and it also changed how we were going to approach every day. Lyn was immediately faced with stage-four metastatic lung to brain melanoma cancer, and the future and time that Lyn had remaining on this earth was uncertain. We hoped for healing, and that we would use…
My Valentine
I often have people tell me, “Jeff, I could never write a blog with as much personal information as you give.” It is true that in the previous 21 posts, I provide personal stories, feelings, fears, prayers, and heart-wrenching details about Lyn’s treatment. However, it was Lyn’s wish that we write a blog that was…
Expect Healing and Remaining Positive
I often tell people, “All my days are good, but there are some days where a little sadness is sprinkled in, and they are tougher than others.” A number of days ago was one of those difficult days in which I needed to push through tough emotional barriers. However, I have learned that on many…
Moving Forward in Life After a Death
It was just one year ago when my wife and I sat down and had a deep discussion about life and moving forward. From the very beginning of her cancer, to the very end we were always very open about her cancer, how she was doing, feeling, and discussing the future. One of the phrases…