In the months following my husband’s death I began actively seeking books to read to give me comfort, empathy, and advice. Some were very helpful, some so-so, some too full of platitudes, and some, though not fantastic, contained some great ...
Emotions have always been difficult for me, I would be the first one to admit it. I can tell you how I should be feeling in a way that made sense by a textbook definition and I would usually leave ...
I often hear people say to their spouse I can’t imagine life without you. But unfortunately, I can. And so can my widowed friends. When I met my late husband, he was considered terminally ill. He had cystic fibrosis and ...
"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." Proverbs 4:23 Guard your heart. That is what I do now. I want the normal of years past but in doing our normal things I am opening ...
My natural tendencies are to encourage people. To always cheer people on and look at the bright side of most things in life. As I think back, this optimistic attitude has been a constant in my life. I’ve held ...
Another family vacation has come and gone. This was our 5th. one without Bryan and it was still hard. Not as hard as the previous ones, but hard nonetheless. I am learning that time does help and heal, but for ...
In my recent reading, Ben Sasse, author of THEM, was talking about marriage when he mentioned the common midlife crisis and the empty nest syndrome that most of us go through. The next phase he talked about was the “sweet ...
When Seth died, a dear friend who had also just recently lost her husband suggested I fill my social media feed with inspirational quotes. She told me she found it was better than seeing a news feed full of happy ...
Grief waves sneak up sometimes and others there are little wakes that come in first reminding me that a big date is coming that I need to brace my heart for. Tomorrow is going to hurt. My heart is going ...
As the years since Jared‘s death grow longer, I am worried I will forget. I am worried I will forget the special things about him. The blue of his eyes. The sound of his laughter. The touch of his ...