Buying gifts for a widow seems to make a lot of people nervous, particularly if the loss is new and that loved one hasn’t been a widow for very long. No one wants to offend or upset her. No one ...
If I had one bit of advice - and possibly a magic wand to help make it so - I would advise new widows to make sure that they give themselves ample time to grieve, post-loss. Of course, this goes ...
This year, something unexpected happened: I’m actually looking forward to the holidays. After years of greeting the season with a mix of dread, exhaustion, and let’s be honest, a bit of forced cheer, I feel something new—a spark of genuine ...
Yesterday marks three years since I have heard my husband’s voice. He had such a gentle, warm and sincere way of communicating with others. I really wish I could just hear him speak to me again. I often imagine what ...
The cashier insisted I bring home two pumpkins and a giant bag of candy after I awkwardly responded to her Halloween inquiry. ‘Uhm, Halloween just....isn't in the cards this year.' A thousand responses had flipped through my mind when she ...
Rejections are a part of any writer's life and as a writer, I've seen my fair share. If I want to basically guarantee a rejection though, all I have to do is submit a piece about widowhood. It doesn't matter ...
Even the significance behind numbers has changed. He passed away on December 23rd (2023) at 1:30 pm. Today it’s October 14th (2024), 8:30 am. It’s been 295 days, 18 hours and 30 minutes. The 23rd of every month is marked ...
Trigger Warning: Suicide; Death by Suicide; Bullying. Everyone has an opinion about celebrity suicides - and they can be quite hurtful. As someone who was widowed by suicide, please allow me to explain just how traumatizing all the different opinions ...
I short circuit sometimes – when life gets too stressful – to a memory that repeats in haunting fashion. It is the lips of the doctor mouthing the words, “These things happen.” His lips are chapped and peeling. The corners ...
Anger is stage two, according to the five stages of grief. Widows know that there are no stages but rather a flurry of emotions that occur all at once or independently and repeat randomly. Anger can be difficult to deal ...