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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Heart hugs for you Carolyn, your children, family and friends as you grieve the tragic loss of Tim. Holding space for you all as you navigate a new reality you weren’t expecting or prepared for. Much love from Canada, and from someone who has and continues to follow your page and incredible recipes since you began. I have most of your cookbooks, and of course I just pre-ordered The Protein Advantage. I’m not going anywhere, and will wait and support you in any direction your life will take you. You have literally made a huge positive difference in our lives. 💔❤️🩹
My heart is breaking and weeping for you and your family. I love your work in creating recipes that help keep us happy and healthy. Thank you for sharing your heart break. Take all the time you need for you and your family. Only you will know when it is time to return.
Oh no! 💔 I am so sorry for your loss. He looks like such a kind guy. Just so unfair. 😢
I am so sorry for your loss. I will be sending prayers up for you and your family. My heart aches for all of you.
I am so very sorry for your loss! I cannot imagine what you and your children are going through. My prayers for you and your family
Dear Carolyn, my heart is with you and I hope you find some support through your grief. I just lost my beloved companion 2 weeks ago and I am in the think of it. Remember to be gentle with yourself.
Your husband sounds like an amazing friend and partner. Take your time for you and your family. We appreciate all you have done and will be here when you need a bake fest or when you are feeling social. You and your family are being added to pray lists that I know. Blessings to you and your family as you go though this time of grief.
AL
Carolyn, sending love and deepest sympathy to all of your family. This week I am preparing for my dear husband’s celebration of life and I know what you are going through. Take care of yourself first, whatever that entails and know that you are loved and prayed for. Betty Burlingham
So sorry for your loss Carolyn
God bless you and your family, Carolyn. I was so shocked to read this post. It was the last thing I expected you to say and I’m truly sorry you’ve lost such a wonderful man. I will join the many others that follow your posts and support your family in ways that I can during this terrible time.
Dearest Carolyn,
I am so very sorry for the unfathomable loss of your wonderful and amazing husband. Your relationship sounds just like mine with my husband and I know how incredibly grief stricken and devastated I would be. I know that grief would last the rest of my life. I’ve been a regular follower for 11 yrs now and you’ve mentioned Tim often in your posts, it was easy to see when you spoke of him, just how much you love each other. It is a very rare thing in this world of ours and a beautiful sight to behold. I do pray God’s blessings and comfort for you and your lovely family as you all grieve, my heart breaks for you😢. Be assured this faithful follower will remain with you however long you need to find your way, which could be a while. I’m pre-ordering your book now, I know it will be awesome. I wish there was something I could say or do that might ease your pain a bit. Even though I’m a stranger to you, if you ever just need someone to scream, rant, cry or whatever to, feel free to reach out. God bless you Carolyn, your children and your beloved Tim.❤️❤️❤️
Sincerely,
Lisa Norried
Oh Carolyn, this breaks my heart for you and your family. Please know you are in my thoughts.
My Deepest Condolences Carolyn
There are no other words. I just suddenly lost my brother on June 2nd. My thoughts are with you.
Carolyn, I don’t know you personally, but I feel like I do a little through following your blog and recipes for years. I have some of your cookbooks and will be pre-ordering your new one in honor of your husband. He sounds like an incredible man. My heart is broken for you and your family.
I am so sorry! My thoughts are with you. I appreciate the time you took to write this post. It must’ve been hard with everything going on. Please do what you need to do and know that there are many people who will continue to follow and support you. Take care….
I am incredibly sad for you and your family. So sorry Tim was taken from you so soon. Sending healing thoughts..