New Year’s Eve was our holiday. We celebrated it together multiple times before we were a couple. We were each a “third wheel” to our best friends, who happened to be married to each other, and so became de facto ...
I made a shift last week. A shift in the way I think and possibility in the way I feel. I became a homeowner again. I took the plunge and signed hundreds of white pages of bland, boring documents that ...
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 ...
“Melissa, you’re brilliant!” I thought to myself. I had this great idea to spend our first holiday after Dave’s death in Disneyland. What a perfect distraction, right? I walked downstairs where the boys were playing video games - they were ...
I came across a post the other day while mindlessly scrolling Facebook, and it really made me stop and reflect. I remember finding the broken crayons in the box as a child, and if I’m being honest, choosing to put ...
Grief can be like two sides of the same coin. It is possible to miss and reflect on what we had, yet also create new memories and decide to fully live again – even through the holidays. This is how ...
The holiday season can be one of great joy. But for widows and their grieving children, it can also be one of great sorrow. Reminders of who is missing. Traditions that can no longer be kept. Gifts that no longer ...
Anyone who has experienced loss knows how difficult holidays can be, and how traditions can be tricky beasts. For me, the first holiday season after Gary died fell a mere 3 months later. We were all still in shock. When ...
Memories I'm writing this post on my 20th wedding anniversary with Dave - he died suddenly in his sleep almost 10 years ago. I have a little smile on my face as I remember getting to know him as a ...
I’m not sure if every widow does this, but I tend to gravitate towards watching any TV show or movie where the main character is a widow. It’s always interesting to me to see how the plot treats widowhood. Is ...