I’m on the cusp of a new life, but it's difficult to leave the old one behind. And, if I’m honest with myself, I feel guilty and sad, regretful that I have been able to survive without Rick, that I ...
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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 ...
Grief and trauma have a petrifying effect on the human body. I remember clearly in my first year of widowhood how difficult it was to just move. If I was on the floor, moving to the chair felt impossible. I ...
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 have a good life and I know it. I’m healthy. I’m financially secure. I have lots of friends who love me. I have an entire next generation of family members who spoil me with love, grandchildren, and great-nephews. I ...
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 ...
Things don’t bother me as much as they used to. I used to be a lot more tense than I am now, more anxious about everything that needed to be done. I often woke up in the morning with a ...
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 ...