All of us will have that empty seat at the table this Holiday Season. While we begin to hear all of the Holiday cheer songs like” It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”. It is a time that we ...
The first year or two after losing Rick, every memory that popped into my mind was an emotional trigger that sometimes made me sob, and other times just brought on some quiet tears. The trick was learning to handle these ...
As a widow, I have learned to embrace the joy and the sorrow. But it has definitely been a learning curve. When Jared first died, I could not, or would not, embrace the joy. I only wanted to feel ...
A lamentation is an expression of sorrowing, mourning, or regret. This blog is full of lamentations from widows. But it is also full of hope, hence the name “Hope for Widows”. I recently read a blog post about venting. ...
Note from Donna: One day out of frustration on not being able to come up with a suitable blog idea a new friend grinned and went “‘I’ll do it,” blinked at her and although I knew she was kind of ...
Battling my Demons I started to write this post earlier in the week then today as I was driving with my dad, I decided that there needed to be more of the truth behind this story. Battling my demons is ...
The words “generational trauma” are discussed in the national conversation of late. As many people open their minds about the long-term impact of our nation’s past, the subjugation of women and minorities, childhood poverty, interpersonal cruelty, and long wars on ...
“Maybe I shouldn’t write for other widows as my audience.” “Why not?” “Because my narrative isn’t about missing my husband and the tender moments we shared in the end. I feel like an atypical widow that way. ...
When Jared died, my entire world changed. It doesn't mean that my world can't be good, or that I can't be happy, or have a life filled with joy. It just means my world has changed. But until you have ...
Keeping Busy Sometimes I consider myself lucky that Matt died while things were not normal and still sort of shut down. It allowed me to hide away from the world and deal with my feelings or not deal with them. ...