Survival Mode. That horrible period in the first year that no one talks about. Where every thought in my pretty brunette head was overwhelming. I don't mean normal stressful decisions being overwhelming, I mean the idea of 'do I want ...
Since my husband died, I’ve learned that the word “widow” can be a label, as if being a widow is a static condition. It’s deceptively simple and cloaks the fact that each widow is unique and that widowhood and grief ...
My husband has been gone for more than three years. I should be used to living as a widow and existing in my “new normal.” But today I realized, no matter how long I exist without him, I’m not sure ...
It’s the beginning of my eighth week of isolation - quarantining during the coronavirus pandemic. It’s a beautiful sunny day in Michigan. I can finally see summer around the corner! My mood is as sunny as the day, because I’m ...
One of my favourite inspirational speakers is a child psychologist named Dr. Jody Carrington. She speaks of the importance to connect to our community of friends and family. We are wired to do hard things, but those hard things are ...
I’m a hugger. A cuddler. A squeezer. Touching and affection are powerfully important elements that keep me happy, sane, and functioning. I know I’m not alone in this. Quarantining is wreaking havoc with the psyches of many of us who ...
I was really good at that - breathe, be, let go, space. What I wasn’t good at was engaging with the “dust” before it settled or getting sucked into reaction. There’s a lot that’s transpired in science, medicine, technology. psychology, ...
When I first stumbled across the Hope for Widows website over a year ago, I thought, What in the world? Hope? How can a widow of all people have hope? Hope for what? Hope in what? Hope that I don’t ...
I catch myself talking out loud a lot when I’m alone in the car. Luckily, nowadays, the passengers in the cars around me assume I’m on a hands-free phone, so it doesn’t seem strange to see me alone gabbing away ...
I woke up today realizing I feel more alone now than I ever have in my life. And it’s not just that I’m living alone for the first time - no parents, no child: totally alone in this quiet house. ...