[My apologies for being derelict in posting for a few weeks. We are in the home stretch for our oldest daughter’s wedding in July, and last minute preparations, as well as June being a difficult month in general with our wedding anniversary and Father’s Day has left me with little time to spare. I hope…
Yes. I sometimes speak of my husband in the present tense. Often, in fact. And generally, I don’t even think about it being “wrong” until after the words pass my lips. Then I have this hyperspeed conversation with myself, essentially going back and forth about what I said, why I said it, who I said…
A random string of memories popped up today, and not exactly the “best” ones. I’m not entirely sure why they decided to rear their heads, although possibly, they may have come from hearing Leona Lewis’ Bleeding Love and specifically the lyrics: “Trying hard not to hear, but they talk so loud. Their piercing sounds…
My A/C is broken. In fact, I’ve had it turned off since Sunday night because it was simply wasting electricity and the house wasn’t any cooler. It’s Summer in Florida and I’m having to sleep with the windows open and just a ceiling fan running. I bought two floor fans for my two young adult…
Some people wonder how I continue to function after losing the love of my life. Some marvel at how “strong” I am. Still others think me to be callous or uncaring in “moving on” so “quickly”. [Note: I consider myself to be moving forward, not moving on; the first denotes positive motion while the…
This Mother’s Day seemed hard, as were the days leading up to it. Harder than last year, when I think I was still very deep in the numbness following A’s death. In the initial hours, days and weeks of losing a loved one, there is a sort of blanket of despair that, while heavy and…
My uncle is having open heart surgery today. This is my father’s younger brother and the father of my cousin / maid of honor / honorary nose wiper. Yes, I mean that cousin, the same one who dropped everything and hopped a flight to be by my side when A was in the hospital, despite the…
Since becoming widowed, I have been told, in essence, that the second year of grief is more difficult than the first. I have heard it said so many times that I felt there must be some truth to it. I’m only a few weeks into my “Year Two” and probably unqualified to really weigh in…
Have you ever heard of National Widows Day? Yeah, me, neither. But this year it’s on Wednesday, May 3rd, for the record. It’s a fairly new event that evolved from a concept known as Widow’s Wednesday. This was started as essentially a way for people to remember the widows (and widowers) in their lives by…
I’ve spoken on more than one occasion of the importance of music in my relationship with my late husband. It was an integral part of our family life, and the value and meaning of certain songs and lyrics haven’t stopped simply because he’s not physically here to share the moments with me. There are times…
A few days ago marked one year since my husband passed away, and my grown children and I, along with their significant others, got away for a few days to one of his favorite spots in Florida. I’ve heard this one-year point called every thing from “death anniversary” to “angelversary” to, as one crazy widow…
This post also published at The Mighty. It seems that everyone feels they know about grief. Everyone has a story to tell, or advice to dispense. Many people do know about grief, but yet, it’s a very personal thing. The information I’m about to provide may help you. It may allow you to understand a…
