Riley, Lizzy, Ashley, Sonney, and JD on a camping trip at Sue-meg State Park. Photo Credit: Penelope Ray, 2008 It was 2008 when we found them. JD and I were particularly broke that year after losing our home in the ...
TW: Suicide method Very early on, after Bret died, I couldn't dream about him. I couldn't feel his presence at all. I wasn't even sure if I wanted to dream about him--I knew that when I'd wake up the next ...
Five years ago, my daughter was still in diapers when her dad died.Today, she put on her backpack, kissed me goodbye, and walked into kindergarten. Five years ago, my son was ten and barely tall enough to ride the big ...
I haven't ever stopped wearing my wedding rings. Going on eight years out, I still wear them. Yes, there are two of them: my wedding ring plus another that was a family heirloom he had given me for my part ...
Car still packed. Hospital bags collecting dust. The half drank Pepsi bottle still in the fridge. That is just a few of the time stamped areas 10 months into one of the most devastating moments of my life. I am ...
I woke up this morning to the sound of my grandchildren whispering, their bare feet padding across wood floors, stopping just short of the bedroom I was in. I’ve landed at Ashley and Micah’s house, my oldest daughter and son-in-law. ...
Dear Bret, It's been a while since I wrote you a letter, and after I made the suggestion for other widows to write letters to their late partners, I decided to do the same. You've been gone now for over ...
July 10th of this year marks four years that I've been fortunate enough to share my journey right here, at the Hope For Widows Foundation blog. Being involved with this wonderful group has been an exponential part of my healing ...
The Unpredictability of Summer GriefA personal reflection on navigating loss in the season of light Summer used to be one of my favorite times of year. I’d look forward to the longer days, the smell of backyard grilling, and the ...
On a day like today, when I was 10 years old, I might have been lying on my bedroom floor, listening to the radio. "Neverending Story" by Limahl might have been playing, and the breeze might have been causing my ...