Recently one of my late husband's nurses made the comment, "Elizabeth, I wish you would write a book about all of the wildly insensitive and inappropriate things people have said intentionally and unintentionally to you and your daughters over ...
I hosted a Christmas Bridal Shower today in my, new to me, home. And, as I was cleaning up the kitchen, wiping down silver trays, and soaking dishes, I realized just how fortunate I had been. For almost 28 years you ...
"It gets better." Let me begin this post with an honest disclaimer: I never thought I would ever say those words. How does the death of a spouse ever get better? I never would have believed it either. I never ...
In my last post I wrote about the value of holiday planning and how the choices I made (and didn’t make) affected the outcome of the holidays. Since that first year, I have tried so hard to push through avoiding ...
I wish I had a book entitled “Everything You Wanted to Know as a Widow But Were Afraid to Ask” because sometimes I don't know if I'm losing it or if I'm just being human. For instance, lately, I've wondered ...
Dear One, I'm been almost fourteen years since my husband's death and Thanksgiving still drains me. It's improved though. Where some wounding was more pronounced and somewhat of a surprise, other things that threatened to rip me apart, no longer ...
The first holiday season without my husband was a bit of a train wreck. It all began with Halloween - my first major holiday as a widow. I remember walking into a craft store and being horrified by the display ...
Last year I worked at an elementary school as a paraeducator to see if I wanted to go into teaching. By the end of the school year, I was happy with everything I had learned that brought me closer to ...
A young man asked if I was married. This is a typical question I get when I have conversations with strangers or people who don’t know my story. Often times it's women or older people. They see me without a ...
Death brings about an abundance of things. Loss of life, lifestyle, income, homes, family, friends... the list is endless. For a while, our minds try to protect us by going numb. We are in shock, they say. And this phase ...