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AKA "The Writing Woman"

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Category: Memories

grief journey
October 15, 2022

The Pink Pool Noodle – October 2022 Hope for Widows post

The fuchsia-pink pool noodle Rick bought me is starting to decompose around the edges. The memories of that last vacation we shared are starting to fade around the edges, too.

How can a pool noodle come to mean so much to me? How does it symbolize our love? Or his personality? Or how much he cared for me?

Can I … Read the blog

chapter two
August 22, 2022

Rick Roy

The bright, hot sun is beating on my back. The waves of Lake Huron are washing rhythmically against the shore. The sky is blue and nearly cloudless. I put aside my literary magazine to drink it all in: the sun, the breeze, the sand, the summer.

“This is the life, Rick Roy,” I say to myself.

I’m stunned by the … 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

memories
March 13, 2022

Write Down the Memories – Hope for Widows blog

Last week was the anniversary of our first date. I remembered writing about that date a year after his death, so I looked up the blog. There it was, and as I read it, I remembered that stage of grief again, the rawness of another “first” without him. But something else happened while I read it…I started to smile. There … Read the blog

December 14, 2021

Grief Knows No Bounds – Hope for Widows Post for December 2021

Grief knows no bounds. It can be triggered when you least expect it, although most triggers are obvious and predictable. After Rick’s death, I knew going into a diner, Home Depot, or Costo would be painful. I knew vacationing without him for the first time would be awful. Smelling his aftershave or seeing a large bald man would sometimes be … 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

October 13, 2021

Remembered Moments – Hope for Widows Blog

I went on a date last Saturday night…it was my first date with a new man I met in an online dating app. After two years of first dates, the only thing I know for sure is that you never know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised to find he was a nice guy: interesting, intelligent, fun to … 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

triggers
December 9, 2020

A Lifetime of Memories on Facebook

Oh Facebook, you’re killing me. Here I sit again with tears streaming down my face. Note to self: do not check the Facebook memories until you’re really prepared for it.

The memories that seem to get me are the ones from four years ago, the last good year with Rick. From January to August 2016, life was normal. But then … Read the blog

February 28, 2020

Three Years Ago Today – Latest blog on the Hope for Widows site

My friend Jo sent me a Facebook memory. Three years ago today, I was with Rick on the Florida gulf. We were sitting with Jo watching a gorgeous sunset in Rick’s favorite spot on Madeira Beach. I sat staring at the photo, unable to remember exactly how I felt that evening. Despite the beauty of the sunset, I know I … Read the blog

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“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

  • Leaving the Past Behind – Hope for Widows Blog January 16, 2023
  • The Golden Years – a Poem on the Hope for Widows website November 18, 2022
  • Autumn Leaves, 2022 October 22, 2022
  • The Pink Pool Noodle – October 2022 Hope for Widows post October 15, 2022
  • Rick Roy August 22, 2022
  • Still Picking Up the Pieces – Latest blog on the Hope for Widows website August 13, 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
  • About the Blog
  • 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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