July 12th would have been our twenty-seventh wedding anniversary. In the seven years since Rick died, I’ve gone through many different stages of grief, and I’m a different woman than that distraught widow from years ago. Instead of sadness over ...
One of the things I hate about grief is how relentless it can be. I’ve learned so much in the four and half years my husband is a resident of Heaven instead of here with me. God keeps sustaining me ...
When you lose your spouse, whether you are a parent or not, there are phrases that you will hear from family, friends and acquaintances. These phrases are spoken out of care and, I believe, an unspoken discomfort in not knowing ...
I’m new to this, yet I’m not. I’m a teacher so I’m used to writing. I’ve been writing most of my life. I mostly write and then eventually throw my writing away, except the journals on my travels. I also ...
The stresses and trials of being a widow can really test our faith. It’s the hard times and difficult situations this life brings that show us the strength of our conviction to trust God, or reveal our lack of understanding ...
Father God created us as unique and diverse people with intricate needs. We are not just people with physical needs. We have a physical body we must attend to, but the fullness of our life is just as dependent on ...
Everything changes when you are stripped of your life partner. Nearly every widow feels desperately alone in spite of the fact losing a spouse is almost a universal experience. There is no way to prepare for the devastating impact this ...
Widows face challenging social life changes in the wake of the loss of her husband. Making the adjustment to life after a spouse dies is filled with many endings and beginnings of relationships. This is a reality that is not ...
When we are in the throes of deep grief, it's tough to imagine how anything else, ever, could be worse than what we are feeling. Pain and grief feel incredibly isolating. They are deceptive as well - even when others ...
March Forth It’s reflex to set the fourth place. My arms move quick across the dinner table. Then I pull them back like children in danger. People don’t understand – It’s not just the Big Obvious ...