When Jared died, I counted the months he had been gone. I hated the 16th of every month. And if the 16th happened to be a Tuesday, it was a double whammy. Then at the end of October 2016, I ...
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 ...
Every year around this time I start feeling a little stuck and lost. I love to coach women on becoming unstuck because feeling stuck has been a repetitive occurrence through various seasons in my life. Now that I have perspective ...
The holiday season is officially upon us. And the holidays are such a hard time of year. Especially for widows. During this time of year, I always miss Jared even more. I wish he was here to go to the ...
Sleep is such a precarious yet precious thing. We need it to function, feel terrible when we don’t have it and trying to get it is like trying to find gold in the desert. I used to be such a ...
Facebook reminded me of a memory that was a turning point in my grief. In September 2016, I flew to Brazil for work. And I was advised to not wear any valuable jewelry. So for the first time since ...
Anger is the greatest motivator because it’s limitless. When discussing the stages of grief, psychologist recite the five stages of the Kubler-Ross Model: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression then Acceptance As most of us who are widowed now know this model ...
There is a deep loneliness that encompasses my soul lately. It is similar to a shadow that follows you on a partly sunny day. It's always there. I'm keenly aware of the sunshine. But the longing for my husband and ...
Over the past couple of weeks, I have had a writer's block of sorts… Or maybe more of a writer's flood… Or perhaps a mental flood is the best way to put it. My mind is filled to the brim ...