As it turned out, the baby created itself without permission from either of them, announcing its existence in subtle ways after they returned from the...
Sometimes I feel really sorry for my family. They are the unfortunate souls who have to listen to my bellyaching on any given day.
I will come out and say it. I love my job. I really do. And I also realize just how lucky I am to feel that way. The fact is that every single day, I have the privilege of being in service to people in need.
The answer to the question of when you should begin the intensely personal part of your Healing Journey known as the 'go-through' is quite simple.
Most people in the world are afraid of dying, which is not exactly what you would call an irrational fear. However, many people are so afraid of dying that they do not even want to discuss death, which, uncomfortable as this discussion may be, is downright irresponsible.
One of the most common questions asked within both the widowed and divorced communities is, 'When is it appropriate to start dating again?' The quick answer is, 'Only you can make that determination.'
I must have had a very confused look on my face when it happened. It was the same look that I have seen on our cat when she sees a talking parrot in the waiting room of the veterinarian's office.
Although it may be tempting to do otherwise, do not choose to dwell on the unfairness of your widowhood. The unfairness is a given, however dwelling on the unfairness will not take you in the healing direction that you wish to travel.
I can think of a lot of things that need filling up at one time or another. Some of those things might include: A bank account, a gas tank, a martini glass. Now... do you know what definitely does not need 'filling'? Somebody else's shoes.
Sometimes all we need is for just one person who has walked the same path to quietly and gently say, "It really is OK..."
SPECIAL FROM Grandparents.com In 2006, after the death of her husband, Richard Carlson, Ph.D., author of the best-selling "Don’t Sweat the Small ...
Twelve years. An entire lifetime ago. Whether by plane, car, ship, train or other means, most of us have taken a long trip of one kind or another. While in the midst of traveling, our habit tends to be to constantly check the time or the mileage to determine how far we have to go until we get 'there,' wherever 'there' happens to be.
If you go to the zoo with children, it's going to be all about them. It's pretty much the same with a man. Alone, I can commune with the polar bears all day.
Nothing could steer me off course during my inaugural year in Denver. So when I read about the widowed news anchor who was selected as a 5280 Magazine's "Most Eligible Single" in February of 2007, it was only fitting that I should reach out.
He's wearing khakis and a tattersall dress shirt. When I'm with him I wear a dress, this time a gray one. Always a V-neck. I am 72 and hoping I'm not showing wrinkled cleavage.
They were two men. I was wife to one and daughter to the other. They were two separate, distinct and unbearably difficult losses. I recognized and grieved those two losses as such. All grief is not the same.
After two marriages and 15 years of motherhood, I had to confess I was tired of subjugating my desires to the needs of a husband or a child. If I had to put up with the sorrows of widowhood at 47, shouldn't I at least get to savor its small freedoms too?
I have always taken great umbrage at anyone criticizing, questioning or opining on how the widowed handle their grief and their highly individual and intensely personal healing journeys. Unfortunately, there seems to be a lot of it going on.
After all I’d seen, all I’d done and failed to do, I couldn’t imagine having the will again to take on responsibility for another person. The idea that I might stand before my friends in a white dress and pledge to love someone else in sickness and in health? Unthinkable.
The widowed community generally spends a lot of time talking about how much late spouses are missed. Not only is this completely and totally normal, it is also a welcome catharsis and a necessary factor in moving through the grieving process. But do you ever miss 'you' as well?
Did you make New Year's resolutions? I didn't. Not new ones, anyway. Instead, I simply reminded myself of the decisions I made just about two years ago, after my husband's death.
I still scowl at the scale. I squint when trying to read street signs and curse because I can't wear an amazing backless dress. But while I am yelling at the scale and pulling at my face and laughing at all of the rest of it ... I also remember to be grateful.
I am delighted to present to you 10 widowed resolutions for your happy new year. These resolutions are meant to bring you peace, comfort and most of all, ownership of both your Healing Journey and ultimately, your life.
Please do not look at others in the widowed community and compare your progress (or what you may perceive to be a lack thereof). Your healing journey is not a competition, and it is certainly not a race to some imaginary finish line.
Incorporating a new love interest into your traditional holiday activities with family, long-time friends and possibly the ex-spouse, can be more than a little stressful.
