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 can’t tell you how sorry I am. I have followed you for many years and loved hearing about your life with Tim. He sounded wonderful, so full of love.
I will be praying for you and your family, and for your strength and grace to support your children through this.
Our condolences and big hugs from France❤️
May God keep you and your family at peace and safe at this period of time in your life as you miss you beloved husband and Father. I do feel sorry for your loss but God is graceful and kind and He knows each one of us and when our time to go Home is best. We don’t realise it at times of sorrow and it is okay to grieve. But I pray God give you grace and strength to be strong and go through this times heroically. You are in my prayers! Hugs and love your way! It all will pass….you will be fine.
So sorry to hear this sad news. Cherish the memories and take all the time you need. We will still be here for you.
So very sorry for your sudden loss. Prayers for you and your family. I can relate, I too fell in love with my husband of 46yrs because he made me laugh! Humor certainly helps thru the tough times. Although some days I don’t find him quite as funny😉. Have been a big fan since I started Keto 6yrs ago! Thank you for all you do!
I’m so sorry to hear this. The loss of our spouse is a long hard road. Ride the wave. Feel every feeling. For as long as you need. Pushing them inside is exhausting. You and your family will be in my prayers.
Dear Carolyn,
My heart breaks for you and your family. I am sincerely sorry for the loss of your husband, partner in crime and father to your children. He will forever be with you, but right now, that seems like such empty words. Be selfish right now and take all the time you need for yourself and your entire family. We will be here for when you are ready to come back. We will indulge in and be grateful for what you have already shared with the keto community! Now go be with the kids and family! Hug them long and hard and take time for yourself! Warmly, Patti
Dear Carolyn,
I am so sorry for your lose. My heart goes out to you and I am praying for you and your family as you navigate the future without your love and partner 💔.
You and your family are in my prayers, with love. Dona Tungate
I am so sorry for your loss. Prayers for your husband.
I am so very sorry for ths loss of your husband so suddenly.I willbe preodering your new cookbook.I have enjoyed your recipes for years. Your in my thoughts and prayers for comfort and peace.
Thoghtfully yours ,
Theresa Oxenreider
hi Carolyn, you don’t know me personally, but I just opened my mail and was scrolling down to find your post and when I opened it I read what you wrote. I’m so sorry to hear about your loss. My thoughts are with you and your family take all the time you need to be with them. fondly, Susan
I´m so terribly sorry and sad to hear from your huge loss! I send all my sympathy and best wishes to you and your family.
Try to live through this hard time the best you can, I don´t know really what else much to say…
I have been reading your blog for years now and I really appreciate your carefully made and accurate recipes which always work. Just take all the time you need now and return creating more of them when time is right and if it still seems to be something you can enjoy.
I’m so sorry for this sad and devastating loss. You’ll be in my prayers today and an intention at mass Sunday for you and your family. May God’s peace and grace envelope you.
I am sorry for your loss, you have my deepest sympathy, thank you for your commitment in helping people.
Please accept my deepest condolences.
Dear Lord
Be with the Ketchum family as they start to live in this new normal. One they never prayed for but now are living. Be strong for them, be loving to them and hold them strong when their grief and anger make them weak. Hold them and let them know that you are God and that you love them. Amen