Tonight I was texting with my original Camp Widow crew of four. We haven’t all been together, in person, in a few years. But our connection is still strong and even if some time passes, we are always just a text away. As we were texting, I was reminded of where one of our inside […]
Widowed and Healing
Navigating Cones of Uncertainty
It’s been a long week filled with many dedicated hours preparing the canal house for its new occupants. Hard to believe that I closed on this property two years ago this October. I couldn’t say it then, but that house needed extreme TLC. Basically, it was a hot mess, but I didn’t want to hurt […]
WARNING ⚠️ Super Long & Vulnerable Post Ahead ➡️
It finally happened! It was in the ice cream aisle at the grocery store. My very own first scene of the next rom-com Hallmark blockbuster 🤣 Last week I went to the grocery store to buy a few things because we had nothing. We had just gotten back from our trip, exhausted but, lo bailado nadie […]
I’m making a list …
“When something bad happens you have three choices. You can either let it define you, let it destroy you, or you can let it strengthen you.” I’ve certainly let Jim’s death define me during these past 10+ months – and I did it after Vern died, too. Lots of hurts and oh so many tears. […]
I (YOU) Will Survive ❤️🩹
“At first I was afraid, I was petrifiedThinking I could live without you by my side” Meet my girlfriends Lizzie, widowed for six years, has three amazing teenage and young adult boys. Evelyn has been divorced for more than ten years and has one amazing teenage daughter and one spunky, super-cool tween son 😎. The […]
I’m Becoming ….
I’ve been posting a lot about aging, I know. That number – 75 – just seemed to consume me and became my identity for all sorts of reasons. Losing Jim. His family. Still missing Vern. Feeling sick. Being alone. But I’m grateful to share that there’s been a much needed change. It’s been subtle, gradual. […]
Light Summer Reading 📚
The Wild Edge of Sorrow This book has been sitting on my nightstand for months. I love reading, yet that’s another thing that took a back seat to trauma and grief. I finally started reading the book today. As I lay on the sand and opened the book, I laughed to myself. “Wow, girl… you’re […]
Happy Birthday, Jim
Jim’s 80th birthday was Thursday. We had talked about doing something extra special in 2026 when I hit 75 and he hit 80 … a trip to Hawaii, perhaps … or maybe even Italy! It was fun thinking about what we might decide to do … until he got so sick and we just took […]
“Thanks for the Adventure – Now Go Have a New One!”
I recently watched a clip from the animated movie, “UP” (tearjerker, if you haven’t seen it). It was the scene where Carl, who was recently widowed, is looking thru a photo album his wife, Ellie, had made. In it, she had photos from their life together. They were “regular life” photos, getting married, buying their […]
Permission to Be/Come 😊
I feel like I barely finished our summer travel plans, and the summer is almost over. Two and a half years after my loss, I’m still having to remind myself of how much energy everything takes. It has gotten better, but man… this process feels so slow sometimes!!! Subconsciously, I think the more I’m able […]
Staring at the blank page before you ….
Spent a lot of time this week reminiscing … reading the old blog I started right after Vern died, looking through photos of special times I had with Jim and with Vern, and beginning to write in a new personal blog for this time in my life after losing Jim. I am so very […]
Moving Forward in the Garden of Chaos
I took a few days off this past week to spend some time with some very good friends in New England. I am posting from the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport on a cool overcast morning. While up here I’ve loved viewing the beautiful older homes surrounded by gardens filled with native flowers and hard wood forests, […]