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AKA "The Writing Woman"

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Tag: cancer widow

January 16, 2023

Leaving the Past Behind – Hope for Widows Blog

t happened again. I went on another first date that didn’t leave me wanting a second. The man was intelligent and ambitious, polite and friendly. But there was no spark, and, when I got home afterwards, I realized that I hadn’t laughed once. Not once. And I have that kind of sense of humor that finds just about anything funny.… Read the blog

autumn, seasons, and grief
October 22, 2022

Autumn Leaves, 2022

In October 2006, we found this house. It was a beautiful, quiet setting on a dead-end street. We had been considering a different house, but we came to look at this house one more time. When we saw it with the leaves turning color and the autumn light and smells all around us, we knew it was our new home. … Read the blog

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

grief journey
August 13, 2022

Still Picking Up the Pieces – Latest blog on the Hope for Widows website

Five years ago today, I held Rick’s hand in a death grip. A literal death grip, for hour upon hour. By noon of that day, I realized he was going to die, and he did, at 8pm that night.

The night before, alone in my bed, I had an odd feeling. A scary feeling. A feeling like my life was … 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

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

chapter 2
May 6, 2021

The Heartbreak of a New Beginning – Hope for Widows Blog

…It’s an elusive feeling this time. The grief. The heartbreak. This makes it all final. Rick is gone and he’s never coming back. Another man is holding my hand, telling me he’s crazy about me, kissing me, “smitten” with me. And it’s one of the most bittersweet things I’ve encountered on this long, complicated grief journey.

I guess it’s time … 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

new normal
November 12, 2020

The Myth of the New Normal – New blog on Hope for Widows website

My husband has been gone for more than three years. I should be used to living as a widow and existing in my “new normal.” But today I realized, no matter how long I exist without him, I’m not sure this will ever really feel normal.

Sure, my life is on an even keel and I’m doing okay, but this … 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

  • 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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