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The Writing Widow

AKA "The Writing Woman"

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Category: The new normal

grief journey
July 16, 2022

Our 25th Anniversary – Hope for Widows blog post

This past Tuesday was our 25th wedding anniversary and I celebrated alone, sitting under the windchimes in my gazebo. A small portion of Rick’s ashes are in the chimes, so I always feel like he’s with me when I sit there. It was his favorite place to sit in the evenings, so I thought it was the perfect location to … Read the blog

June 18, 2022

His Lasting Impact on My Life – Hope for Widows Blog for June

The impact of Rick’s death has lessened as the years go by. That’s only natural. I’ve always been a firm believer that time really does heal all wounds, although not as quickly as we would like (and I definitely formed that opinion before experiencing widowhood). But certainly the enormous and raw pain I felt daily in the first months and … Read the blog

January 16, 2022

Relinquishing the Dead – Hope for Widows Blog, January 2022

Author Joan Didion died in December. I’ve always enjoyed her writing, but I owe her a special debt of gratitude for her memoir, The Year of Magical Thinking. In it, she described the grief and pain following the death of her husband, and the lost sense of reality that resulted from her grief. (She also refers to this state … Read the blog

grief journey
November 14, 2021

Remembrances of Things Past – Hope for Widows Blog for November

The first year or two after losing Rick, every memory that popped into my mind was an emotional trigger that sometimes made me sob, and other times just brought on some quiet tears. The trick was learning to handle these moments because you never knew where or when they were going to hit. It wasn’t just seeing a picture of … Read the blog

September 6, 2021

The Dating Widow

I don’t often write much here about my dating experiences or my new relationships. For one reason, this is a blog about widowhood and grief, and not about virtual dating or how to navigate the dating world. For another reason, no one would believe some of the stories I could tell. It’s been interesting, to say the least. 

But the … Read the blog

August 11, 2021

Grief, Year Four: Embracing Life for Both of Us – Hope for Widows Blog

This past week, I was up at our cottage in northern Michigan, and I joined the family at nearby Ocqueoc Falls. Rick used to make fun of the falls. When I first took him there, he kept laughing as he watched the water cascading across the large stones, and finally he asked, “Well, where are the falls?” Two weeks later, … Read the blog

grief journey
July 13, 2021

The “L” Word – on the Hope for Widows website

Yesterday, Rick and I would have celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary. It was the third one since he’s been gone. I made it through the fog of the first one. By the second one, I had adapted to life alone, and I was beginning my foray into the dating world. This year…? How do I categorize this year of widowhood?… Read the blog

grief and chapter 2
May 27, 2021

A Widow in Pursuit of Happiness – blog on the Hope for Widows website

…

At the final session, she gave us an assignment. She’ll never see it. We’ll never share it. It was just a parting gift for us to mull over and write about, another way to gain insight into ourselves, our writing abilities, our hopes, our dreams. She said, “Write about what you’re afraid of.”

After the workshop, as I pondered … Read the blog

time magazine article
April 30, 2021

2021 – The Year I Was Featured in Time Magazine

I was featured in an article in Time Magazine. Those are words I never thought I’d type!

The author of an article on seniors dating during/after the pandemic approached the Hope for Widows admins to ask if they had any bloggers who fit this description: over 60, fully vaccinated, and dating.

That’s me!

After an interesting 45-minute phone interview, the … Read the blog

grief and holidays
February 14, 2021

Flowers for No Reason – A poem on the Hope for Widows blog

FLOWERS FOR NO REASON

My life went on without you
I’ve lived through every season
But since you died, the thing I miss
Is flowers for no reason

These Hallmark Holidays, you claimed,
Were not what proved devotion
It was the times lived in between…
Vacations near the ocean

Or evenings on our backyard deck
And private jokes we shared…
Read the blog

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“A Widow’s Words” Available on Amazon.com

“I Wanted to Grow Old With You” Color Version Paperback Available on Barnes and Noble

“I Wanted to Grow Old With You” Available on Amazon (Paperback and eBook)

Year Two

grief year two

The Cure

the cure a poem about cancer and grief

I Wanted to Grow Old With You

Grief and Loss of Hope

If I Could Have You Back for One Day

Archives

Recent Posts

  • Our 25th Anniversary – Hope for Widows blog post July 16, 2022
  • His Lasting Impact on My Life – Hope for Widows Blog for June June 18, 2022
  • The Ordinary Moments – May 2022 Hope for Widows Blog May 14, 2022
  • Love Is All – Sadly Erasing Him From My Future April 9, 2022
  • Write Down the Memories – Hope for Widows blog March 13, 2022
  • A Piece of Him Inside Me – February’s blog on Hope for Widows’ Site February 8, 2022

Rick and Gerry – 2016

Rick and Jonas

https://youtu.be/aveVSwyBjaY

Rick and Danielle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gvgjw4nXEFY

Rick singing Elvis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cc0gZSV9jnA

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  • About Me
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  • About Rick
    • My Eulogy for Rick
    • Rick’s Obit
  • The Anniversary Gift – a Memoir

I'm a guest contributor on the Hope for Widows Foundation website blog. This organization is a wonderful resource for those of us who are striving to continue to find hope after losing our husbands. Hope for Widows Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization, opens the door to a new world for widows, ensuring they do not go through their experience alone, but with life-long connections and lasting support. Visit their website or Facebook page. Their private Facebook group is filled with loving, supportive fellow widows who have provided much love and encouragement to me since joining the group a week after Rick's death. I encourage you to join.

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