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 ...
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 ...
In the tender season of widowhood, when days feel quieter and the familiar rhythm of shared life shifted, it's easy to wonder if purpose slipped away with your beloved. Yet Scripture gently reminds us God never wastes a life, a ...
Now that I’m retired, I love taking writing courses. They challenge me and make me dive deeper into my feelings - and they also encourage me to make more time to write. In my current course, called "Writing to Heal," ...
Photo Credit: Sonney Wolfe A reckoning with the expectations of grief – six years in At the end of each teaching semester, I’ve started asking students to answer one question. If you ask me, it’s the most important question they ...
I recently started a ministry to widows at my church. As I was preparing for my meeting during this Thanksgiving, I came across a wonderful story from history I never knew. Many of us have heard President Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation, ...
My husband so loved music. I have his piano, now lying silent of his touch that brought gentle melodies of hope… scales up and down to help my daughter warm up before he played her music so her song could ...
When I was a never-married single mother in my late thirties, I went back to school, hoping to start a career so I could better support my son. Since I loved literature, I took every English Literature class available. I ...
Photo Credit: Elizabeth WolfeIgnore the Rumor Mill Ignore the Rumor Mill When I sold my Maryland house and moved to Alabama, opinions and judgements landed on my doorstep within days. I expected less “shake my head” mentalities. I expected people ...