Holidays While Widowed

Valentine’s Day for Widows

Valentine’s Day is one of those emotional landmines every widow must navigate. If your grief is fresh, it’s a heart-wrenching reminder of what you’ve lost. Later, when the initial shock and grief wears off, it can still leave you feeling wistful and empty. Even at my stage of life – nearly four years into widowhood…

Christmas: The loneliest time of the year.

Here we are. It’s my fourth Christmas post-Tom. Fourth! How the &%$# did we get here? I’m not one to swear, but that’s kinda what grief does to ya. Turns you into someone you’re not and don’t want to be. Really, I’ve been doing ok this year. That’s probably in large part because I radically…

Why I Didn’t Set a Place for My Husband at Thanksgiving Dinner

We’re doing something different for Thanksgiving this year. Normally, we head out to a potluck buffet with extended family. It’s an hour drive, but it’s always been a nice opportunity to catch up with far-flung cousins whom I only see this one time of year. Also, since my husband’s death, I have been secretly grateful…

On Mother’s Day

There are holidays you expect to be especially hard after you become a widow. Father’s Day, for sure. Christmas too. But like most aspects of widowhood, reality is often a far cry from anything you imagined. Take Father’s Day for example. While I may not be skipping for joy when it rolls around, the day…