Dear readers,
These are the hardest words I will ever have to write. My husband, Tim Ketchum, died suddenly last week of what was first thought to be an abdominal aneurysm. Doctors now think he may have had a genetic connective tissue disorder that weakened the structure of his aorta.
He was my partner in every sense of the word. He was my best friend, my confidante, my safe place. And oh, he was such an amazing father. He shared the burden of raising our three children with gusto, being present in a way that most dads will never be.
Everyone who ever met Tim loved him. Even people who only met him in passing were charmed by him. Warm, compassionate, loving, thoughtful. And funny as hell! I fell in love with him because he made me laugh. And even as life became more complicated and serious, we never lost that connection, that goofiness and silliness that made every situation easier to bear.
I feel compelled to share here because I am not quite sure what the future looks like. Certainly for the near term, I will be scaling back my time on All Day I Dream About Food so I can focus on my family and my grief. You will still see posts and recipes from me, but I don’t quite know with what frequency. I will be taking the easy route, updating older posts and sharing simple recipes. I have a backlog of some already that I can share over the next few weeks. I also have help with my social media and I am every so grateful to Stephanie, who has taken over my Facebook page completely for now.
Then again, I may decide to lose myself in the process of baking and create some amazing keto cakes. I honestly don’t know what I want or what I need right now. But I ask that you give me grace for not answering your questions in a timely fashion.
How you can help
I am so fortunate to have created an amazing community of readers and followers, some of whom have been with me for over a decade. I know many of you will want to help in some way. And I am grateful for your thoughts and your kindness.
The best thing you can do is keep coming to my website, reading my posts (both new and old), and sharing my posts on social media. Share to groups, share with friends, and pin my recipes to your Pinterest boards. This website has been my family’s source of income for many years now and views will generate much needed ad revenue. I know that ads can be cumbersome, but I ask that you take time to scroll through each post a little bit.
Another great way to help me is to purchase my cookbooks. In particular, pre-order my upcoming book, The Protein Advantage. I will not have much time to promote it now, but it’s something I worked so hard on. I would love to see it succeed and pre-orders make a huge difference to the overall sales of the book. It helps retailers decide how many copies they want to keep on their shelves. And I can assure you, it’s a book worthy of your time.
Thank you for reading. If you are a spiritual person, please send up some thoughts for the wonderful Tim Ketchum. He was a light in the world and touched so many people. I can say confidently that if you had met him, you would have loved him.
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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Oh Carolyn, I am sending you love and my heartfelt condolences for the loss of your man. I cannot find adequate words, he will obviously be missed by many. Please take all the time you need, we will be here for you xx
May God be with you during this time. I will be praying for you. You have been such an interesting blogger and work hard to bring accurate and delicious recipes to all of us.
I am so sorry for your loss and your children’s loss. I cannot imagine the grief all of you are feeling. I pray that God will bring comfort to you and your family and that you will feel your husband’s presence in some way.
My heart breaks for you and your children. This is a devastating loss for all of you. Take all the time you need to grieve. We all grieve in different ways and time. Do what is right for YOU. Sending prayers for Tim, you and your children. May God bless you and comfort you with wonderful memories made through the years. Love and prayers. Berta
Aww…my thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family. You have been a great source for recipes to me and I pray the God of peace will bring you comfort during this time of grief. John 14:16 ” And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever. John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you, let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
OMG Carolyn, I cannot even begin to imagine how you must be feeling. No worries about us, your family comes first, do what’s best for all of you. Prayers and hugs.♥️🙏♥️
Oh my, Carolyn. I’m so very sorry. I’m sitting here, crying for you and your family. I can’t even imagine what you are going through. I actually have an abdominal aneurysm that I worry about all the time. I just had surgery in February for an ascending aortic aneurysm. They say the abdominal aneurysm is small for now, and we’ll just watch it. I worry about it all the time. You just don’t know about these things. You have been such a beautiful friend to all of us. Love your family. Remember the good times. We are here for you. Thank you for all you have done for so many of us. We all love you!
Carolyn, saddened to hear about the passing of your beloved Tim. My condolences to you and your family. I will continue to view your website and follow your incredible recipes. Much love from Toronto.
Oh my….i am so so sad and sorry for your loss! What a shock! Take the time you need. Grief is a journey that makes the first year topsy-turvy. May you find comfort in the arms of God! Your tears are precious enough to Him that He collects them in a bottle. Prayers for you and your family.
I am so sorry for your loss. May Tim’s memory be eternal. I’ll send up some prayers for him, you and your family.
I am so very sorry to hear the loss of your husband and partner,Tim. I am in tears and will pray for your family. We are all family here and will band together to support you. Love is etched in our heart for you, family and friends.
Grieving hurts, and it’s hard work. My heart aches for you and your family; you are in my prayers. I read your blog every day and consider you a friend that I haven’t met.
This is not supposed to happen…..💔
I am so very saddened to hear about the lost of your husband. I know how that feels. May God comfort you and your children at this time and in the days and weeks and months to come. Take the time you need to grieve, and know that your community has you in their thoughts and prayers.
I’m so sorry for your loss. Sending love to you and your family.
I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your husband Carolyn. I will be praying for you & your family as you walk through this time together.
Carolyn, I’m so sorry for your loss. I can understand losing a loved one to a disease. I pray for comfort and restoration as you spend time grieving for your loss of a wonderful partner and spending time with your family. Take care of yourself! We deeply appreciate you! Love Always in Christ!