Did you know that Oregon and New Jersey are the only states of our nation that do not require drivers to pump their own gas? As a Jersey Girl, it wasn’t until my husband passed that I actually had to fuel my own car. Recently I’ve recalled many journeys on which my late husband, Rich […]
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Turnover
I saw that Bryan, until just recently our Saturday contributor, has announced his retirement from his spot on this Blog and introduced his successor. He is not the first. There is precedent for how such things are handled at the Widow’s Voice blog. It is fast approaching two years that I stepped into my current […]
Birthday Changes
Tomorrow is my birthday. I will be 51 years old. Don was 46 when he died, and in my mind, he is forever 46. Since he was almost 8 years older than me in life, its always weird to me that I am now older than him forever. Each birthday after my 46th one had […]
The Unconclusive Conclusion
While writing this blog, I was forced to revisit and relive more than just my widowed walk. I dove back in time through many memories I had forgotten or hidden. In reflecting back, how ironic was it that I rushed through the four years of high school and the four years of college only now […]
Sneaky Grief
Information and advice for grieving survivors concerning “grief triggers” is both abundant and easy to find. However, much of the stuff I have seen seems directed to teaching how one can brace against the effects of grief, focusing on such major milestones as birthdays, anniversaries, holiday celebrations and the like. Considering my own case, as […]
Contact High
On Friday night, my husband Nick and I went to see Eric Clapton in concert. Nick got the tickets for us as an early birthday gift for me, as my birthday is coming up on September 26th. It was a great concert, and he is a very talented musician. However, several factors made the night […]
Push and Pull
In 2023 I am going to overwinter in the desert. This week a whiff of Fall in the air prompted me to start my travel research. Of course, I knew my destination but not how best to get there. I was looking for a safe and convenient route for me and Lola the pup that […]
Suicide Prevention Day
Cover Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash It’s probably clear from the title but I want to start by disclosing that I will be writing about suicide in this weeks post. In July, the new national prevention hotline number, 988, launched. September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and Friday the 10th was World Suicide Prevention […]
Maybe Grateful
Feeling some things today in my heart that are a bit all over the place, but also sort of add up to emotions of maybe being thankful or grateful or something in that neighborhood. Finally. Maybe. Sure. On this 21 year anniversary of the horrific events of 9/11/2001, Im feeling thankful to know and to […]
Revisiting My Tears
Earlier this week I sat down at the computer, intending to pound out an article about Labor Day being the unofficial end of Summer, but could not get past the vision I was having of Lee: I’m watching her and just then she opens those soft and large brown eyes I’d grown to love and […]
I Watch With You
On August 31, 2002, Don Shepherd flew from his home in Florida into Newwark airport, and met me in person for the first time, after we had been marinating in our long-distance/not yet defined relationship / incredible friendship for three and a half years. Because of past trauma I had been through, I was terrified […]
Block Party
September 9 is the date set for our block party, an annual late summer event for the past five years, or so, except for two years when there was no block party due to Covid. The dates change but it’s always held on a Saturday around this time of year. I’m not sure of its […]