Hello Wonderful Widows.

I often do things a little backwards…now is no exception.

Last week I wrote an article for this blog on widows and teens. I was a stranger in your midst. This week I will let you who I am.

I was widowed in 2000 when I was 47 and Mike was 52. Our daughter was 7 years-old, and his daughter, my step-daughter, was 25. Now they are a beautiful 15 and 33. Mike had breast cancer for the whole of our 10-year marriage, and very suddenly, 2 weeks before Christmas, he lost the battle.

I am a life coach. I began coaching in the corporate realm, as an executive coach 7 years ago. The money was great, but I hated wearing panty hose and pumps and I got tired of dry cleaning suits and I was so bored on the train to NYC that I actually got reprimanded for talking in the quiet car. Over the loud speaker!!! Truly. At the age of 49, I got in trouble for talking. It reminded me of 3rd grade when I had to stand out in the corridor. Humiliating.

We all know that we attract what we put our attention on, and I was no different. As I explored widowhood, the good, the bad, and the ugly (and there WAS some good), I began to attract widows as clients. The rest is history. I quit pantyhose, pumps, suits and the train, and I now work with intelligent, creative, brave women who are eager to explore “What’s next?”, and eager to break down the barriers of what is keeping them stuck as they sort out widowhood. I am a life coach for widows.

Widowhood has been quite a ride. It has included some of the very worst moments of my life, and surprisingly, some of the best. The process of self-discovery has led me down roads that I would not have dared explore when I was married and leaning on my husband. He was the brave one in our marriage. Now, I am now the brave one.

Of course, my story is not unique. There are many like me, ordinary women in less than ordinary circumstances, all becoming extraordinary, you and I.

I am grateful to Michele and the co-creators of SSLF for bringing widows together. What began as one-widow-supporting-another is now becoming an astonishingly powerful assembly of creative, courageous women. I am grateful to be a part of it. I hope you will enjoy what I have to say, or at least think about it. And always, feel free to disagree with me and challenge me!