So many thoughts ran through my head during those first couple of years after Dave died in his sleep in 2011. I couldn’t wrap my head around the idea that a 46-year-old healthy guy would just die so suddenly. I ...
Does the pain ever go away? Is it OK to start dating? When will I feel better? These were the burning questions I had during those first 2 years after Dave died. And I wish I had all the best answers, ...
The first widow I reached out to after my husband died had lost her husband about 3 years prior. She was so honest and open on social media with where she was at during her whole journey. I remember ...
Dave would have turned 57 this week and it's hard to believe that he's been gone over 10 years. In my mind he'll never age - he'll always be 46. I’m grateful and thankful that my body and face will ...
Remembering the first year after Todd died revives all of its raw, nearly physical pain. That year was a waking nightmare. Sometimes, another widow’s post or comment reminds me of the early weeks and months, and I hurt for her ...
I never really felt comfortable with the word “widow”, I guess I’m not really supposed to, right? Like, who wants that word to describe who they are? But it does describe an aspect of who I am. Actually, now I ...
I was all prepared to write about the importance of self-care for this post and had most of it written. It’s a topic near and dear to my heart and it’s a practice that moved me through the darkest parts ...
We all know that feeling of a broken heart - wow, do we ever. After Dave died my heart literally felt physically broken. It was doing flip-flops in my chest and skipping beats like crazy. I’d been diagnosed with a ...
Since my husband died, I’ve learned that the word “widow” can be a label, as if being a widow is a static condition. It’s deceptively simple and cloaks the fact that each widow is unique and that widowhood and grief ...
“Melissa, you’re brilliant!” I thought to myself. I had this great idea to spend our first holiday after Dave’s death in Disneyland. What a perfect distraction, right? I walked downstairs where the boys were playing video games - they were ...