Season of Dying “In Asian mysticism and Chinese medicine, Autumn is considered the season of Grief. While summer is associated with the emotion of joy, autumn is associated with both courage and sadness. If you are grieving, you can probably feel the truth of that association for yourself, because, in Autumn, things are dying.” — […]
Widowed and Healing
Grief Does Not Take A Vacation During Vacation
It never fails to bum me out that I cannot / am no longer obligated to call my Mom when I am leaving for a trip, arrive at the first and subsequent destinations, and call her at least every couple days. She did not use a cell phone, so it always had to be a […]
Finding a Way to Grow
I had an appointment with a local acupuncturist in town. My main acupuncturist (yes, I have 2) is an hour away and I’d been meaning to schedule with the local one since we trade services occasionally. It had been awhile since I’d been to her office. When I got out of the Jeep, I almost […]
In Praise of Tears
An Ode to Weeping Alone in my bed the other night, I wept. It surprised me. I let my tears fall without holding back. In six months, Dan will be gone five years. Those walking the path of grief understand the weird way our bodies know how to “tell time” and set our hearts into […]
A promise to myself
is worth keeping A valuable promise for widowed people to make is to prioritize our own self-care and self-worth by committing to our well-being and growth. What does “I’ll take care of you” mean when we say it to ourselves? We might begin by prioritizing self-care and dare to discover what “self-worth” means […]
Detours and Alignment
In last week’s post, I wrote about timelines and how they can help us recognize the milestones of moving forward after a pivotal life-changing event. I have often drawn my own Timelines to keep events in correct order. I once recounted a story about my dog Quint and Rich. Later a friend reminded me that […]
Pondering Hope
Then and Now In the early days of losing my husband of 52 years, I was in shock. A fog. It lasted a full year and as time moved on, I saw myself clinging to optimism. I’m a hopeless optimist and the problem in that is that sometimes I avoid feeling my feelings in the […]
Quality Time
The period between September 28th and the 28th of October will forever be a time of reflection and recollection. Even with so many changes and forward movement, I’d not be honest if I said that the memories of past drastic events didnt affect my days. Yes, we do move forward (NOT on), but that […]
What is a Bad*ss Widowed Person Anyway?
“Badass” (often stylized with an asterisk, like “bad*ss”) is an informal term referring to someone, typically a woman in recent contexts, who is tough, formidable, and indomitable, often in the face of adversity or to challenge norms. (AI Dictionary) What qualifies a widowed person as a bad*ss? A Bad*ss Widowed Person discerns when […]
Ready to Let Go of Tangible Reflections of their Love
Lynn was big on having (over the counter) meds on hand – allergy, flu, tummy ache, headache, etc. She had them organized in plastic bags that she carefully labeled with what they were for. I have struggled all these years with clutter cleaning, getting-rid-of, holding onto things until I am ready to let them go, […]
Navigating the “Tail” of the Timeline
On Thursday, October 9, Quint, my quirky Malti-poo, turned four years old. Quint has played an integral role in my movement, and voyage, forward after the passing of my husband, Rich. On October 8, 2021, I brought Rich to the local ER after a several days of of him not feeling well after we’d returned […]
After the Major Transition of Loss
Life Brings Other Transitions I joined the Widow’s Voice team about two months into my loss. Each writer (one for each day of the week) writes about whatever is relevant in their life that week. For about two months now, I have been in a state of transition. Preparing my home for a tenant involved […]