Not all that long ago, I was told by a co-worker, in so many words, that my positivity is "too much" for him. "I don't need you to be so positive around me," he said. I was almost speechless for ...
After becoming widowed, I realized I was mourning a lot more than the death of my husband. I was mourning the other things that he and his mental illness took from me. Yes, my husband took a lot from me, ...
The ache of compounded grief in widowhood is a particular kind of brutal. You thought you already did the hardest part. The early days—the raw, suffocating shock, the nights where breathing itself felt like betrayal, the way the world kept ...
People still get taken aback when I tell them that my husband took his own life. I work in the hospitality industry, and people like to talk. They like to chit-chat and ask questions. When they get to the part ...
One of the first books about widowhood I read right after Rick’s death was The Year of Magical Thinking, by Joan Didion. I’ve always been an avid reader, so my natural response to anything is to search out a book ...
The Legend of the Dogwood According to an old and cherished Easter legend, the dogwood tree was once very different. It grew tall, strong, and straight — its wood firm and sturdy, prized for building. Some say it was ...
There is no timeline for grief; we grieve for as long as we need. My timeline, however, has a new update: I am no longer in any kind of active grief. I think I've been here for a while now, ...
It wasn't too long after Bret left us that I * thought * I made peace with the whole thing. Or at least as much as I could have at that given point in time. I forgave him very early ...
I’m exhausted. I woke up this morning ready for work – I work remotely from home, thank goodness. And I didn’t have bus duty for my three kids this morning which usually has me up by 6 a.m. and outside ...
This time last year, I had a feeling that things might be different for me a year from then. I didn't know how, but I made sure to make a mental note about how different things were going to be. ...