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 ...
Have you ever struggled to want to speak God’s truth with faith when the weight of your feelings from a situation you find yourself in scream to cry out in despair? Even strong believers and tested warriors can find themselves ...
How many times have we heard people ask "Why do we, as Christians, still have to suffer in this life?" Doubtless, many of us have voiced that question, especially if our spouses were sick before dying. I myself have asked ...
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 ...
It's been a couple of rainy, gloomy days here in Dallas as I sit to write this blog. I don't know about you, but I think I may struggle with some seasonal depression from time to time. I definitely noticed ...
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 ...
When you lose your spouse, the world doesn’t stop but it certainly feels like it should. The sun still rises. People still go to work. Places around you still fill with laughter. But inside, everything feels different. Your life has quietly split into two ...
I’ve been on this journey long enough to know that time does not heal this kind of grief. Things become softer, not as raw as in the beginning, but missing him and our life together continues even as I move ...
I came across a post I'd shared on Facebook on this day, just shy of three months after Bret left this life. Things still felt surreal as I clung to the remnants of what had been. We'd been together nearly ...
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 ...