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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That is so sad. I am so sorry for your loss.
Carla Garloff
My heart goes out to you. Take your time ,relish your memories , grieve. As
A widow myself I understand. I will pray for you. I already bought your new book and am looking forward to using it. Again, keeping you in prayer.
Praying for you and your family as you navigate this difficult time.
sending my thoughts and prayers to you and your family during this difficult time.
I am so sorry for your loss of your wonderful husband. Praying for you and your three kids and all those who loved him. Praying for your healing!❤️🩹
So so sorry for your loss. I will buy everything you are selling.
Take all of the time you need to heal, its the only way to come thru whole.
I have only recently discovered your website and think it is the best of all the sites with Keto recipes. I’m so sorry for your loss and can’t imagine the grief you are going through. I will keep supporting you in any way I can while you work through your troubles and now is a time for you to focus on your family.
I’m so so sorry to read about your loss. take all the time you need to grieve, we all process differently. put yourself and family first. sending love and light your way ❤
I don’t know you Carolyn, but came across you because of a shared post!
I wanted to send you a virtual hug 🥰 wish you every happiness, knowing you are travelling a painful path just now. Take care and be super kind to yourself.
I will definitely check out your recipes and books 📚
I cannot fully understand the grief you now bear, but I can understand part of it as my 36 year old son died suddenly and unexpectedly this summer. He leaves behind two children.
It’s something I wish I didn’t understand at all. Usually am not good with other people’s grief… I am at a complete loss for yours. You’ve shared so much with your recipes and life and the joy of your family life has always come through. I can only imagine such a loss for you as each loss we face is personal, arduous , healing, necessary, while still awful and soul wrenching, heart squeezing and just extremely painful. I offer a prayer of hope and comfort as that’s where I find my peace. Trusting God for the next thing.
You are loved and respected and have reached into our lives personally as we are on our own healthy food journeys.
Thank you for being you and I’m so very sorry for your unexpected loss.
Audra, I am so sorry about your loss too. That is tragic for your family. My heart is with you.
I’m so sorry for your loss. My husband died suddenly 6 years ago. Electrical issue with his heart. I’ll be praying for you and your family.
I am so sorry for your huge loss! And if anyone can tell me how to get the cookbook I will pre-order it!
Why do we need to know
this?? This seems like something you would tell your family/ friends.
Why is my public sharing of my grief uncomfortable for you? I think that’s the real question here.
I state in this post specifically why I shared. But beyond those reasons, sharing grief and pain actually helps. A lot of what is wrong with our society today comes from repressed emotions and the inability to cope with painful emotions in an adult way.
I cannot fathom what kind of a person would make such a comment! Are you capable of having empathy toward others Karen?
Carolyn – I have enjoyed your recipes for years and have your earlier cookbook, Easy Keto Desserts. I will continue to support you in the ways you mentioned, and I send my sincere condolences to you and your children. I lost my dearest sister to brain cancer this year and I now how painful it is to lose your best friend and that person who knew you intimately and shared all of what life throws at you. Praying for you to find peace and comfort in the days, weeks and months to come.
How do I check to see if I have already pre-ordered your new book, The Protein Advantage?
My prayers to you and your family for this horrible loss.
May his memory forever be a blessing 💞
Hope you are hanging in there. I was widowed at 47 after 20+ yrs of marriage. You don’t forget, but living gets easier. Heal at your own pace, don’t worry about what others think you should or shouldn’t be doing/feeling. Sending positive energy your way.
Thank you.
I’m so sorry to hear this. I lost my husband very suddenly 9 years ago. My children were 7 and 9. It is devastating. I wish you all the love and support in the world. Lean on your family, be gentle with yourself. Your online community will always be there for you.
It doesn’t get easier, but you will get better at managing the ups and downs. Take care ❤️
Thank you for your kind words.