it started off

much the same way

it did the year before 

(in a bar),

but i have to say

that the 2010 version

was even better

than 2009. 

why? 

several reasons. 

first, i got to 

catch up with

the folks i met

last year. 

so much had changed

for all of us, and

i got the sense

that even the reason 

we were there

had changed. 

it’s not that we

didn’t need the

support as much as we

did the first year, 

but we were

better off than 

the year before because

of our attendance 

in 2009. 

we had created

a close knit

support group for ourselves

and this was not only

an opportunity

to see each other

again, but it was

also a chance

for us to give 

back and help get 

others to the place 

we find ourselves in. 

and it’s not that we’ve

“gotten over” the

death of our partners 

(because that will never happen), 

it just that we

made a connection

with folks

like us.

and that’s invaluable

when the world 

is at it’s darkest. 

so to that end, 

i was thrilled to

see my friends

reaching out

beyond the social group

we created

last year, 

and embracing new members

of this awful club. 

and when my new

friend emily told me

that the event

was “a life changer”

well, it confirmed that

camp widow is succeeding. 

and the credit

goes to everyone in

attendance, but especially

to michele for 

actually putting some

actions behind her words. 

another reason this

year was so much better?

holy shit!

there were 10 times

the number of men

as last year. 

don’t be too surprised…

there was 1 man

last year (me).

which (of course) means there 

were 10 this year. 

and to see another 10x

increase next year, 

would be amazing, 

but i’ll temper my

expectations for now. 

let’s just call the

2010 event

a small step forward

for widowed men… 

meeting folks like

david and tom and mitch and chris

and others

made me positive that

someday camp widow

will be a huge

means of support

for more men

in the future. 

but we may have

to change the name

to be more inclusive. 

i know what

you’re thinking… 

“camp widowed people”

just doesn’t have

the same ring as

“camp widow.”

well, i’m sure 

michele can come up

with something better.