The following is a sentiment I often hear from your fellow widows:

“One of our biggest challenges is to endure pain without being one to the people around us.”

If you have always been regarded as the “strong one” in your crowd, it’s hard to feel so needy. Not only might you feel that you’ve imposed one too many times on friends, you may even feel you’re imposing on whom you believe yourself to be.

I suggest that you let go of labels. Weak or strong – it really doesn’t matter, and you can even be both at the same time.

For example, you may regard yourself as weak while, at the same time, others may be looking at you and thinking that you are so brave.

The greater point is that the wheel of life is always turning, and it’s okay to be needy or greedy when help is offered to you during a difficult time ….  that is with the proviso that you offer your hand to someone else in need when you are feeling more able to do so.

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These moments of giving and receiving – really a constant give and take that reflects the natural duality of the universe – is what creates and keeps balance in the world.