AKA "The Writing Woman"
When I was a never-married single mother in my late thirties, I went back to school, hoping to start a career so I could better support my son. Since I loved literature, I took every English Literature class available.
I was a hopeless romantic. Things hadn’t worked out with my son’s father, we never married, and he moved out of … Read the blog
Yesterday I woke up prepared for the worst. It was the eighth anniversary of losing Rick to lung cancer. But I realized that, as the years go by, the major events aren’t as painful as the loss of the little daily things that I miss about being with him.
I spend a few days of the year promoting my widow … Read the blog
I’ve had years to study the effects of grief and just about everything written about it. And one of the things that surprised me when I first became a widow was how much fear was a part of grief. After Rick died, my biggest fear was that I wouldn’t have the strength to go on with my own life without … Read the blog
This upcoming Mother’s Day weekend, give the gift of remembrance. 💐 The Widows of Hope 5K is more than a walk—it’s a chance to stand beside a woman carrying the weight of loss.
Whether it’s your mom, sister, friend, or someone quietly grieving the loss of their loved one, walking with them—or in honor of them—can be a meaningful and … Read the blog
In the eight years since Rick’s been gone, I’ve tried dating and managed to find three men who were potential partners. Yet, here I sit alone again, mulling over what went wrong with each budding relationship. One moved out of town for work. One returned to his ex-wife. The third is an on-again, off-again relationship that has gone on for … Read the blog
As a writer, I spend a lot of time alone, and a lot of time thinking – mostly contemplating life. Tonight, the holiday dinner is over, the kids and grandkids are all off on their merry way, and I sit here pondering how it feels to be alone again in my quiet home. It feels natural now.
I was nearing … Read the blog
I’ve been excited about my latest adventure. The local library invited me to have a table with my books at their annual local author fair. I’ve never done it before – never even considered it, mostly because I never considered myself an author. I know I’m a writer. I know I’ve published books, but I guess it’s “imposter syndrome,” because … Read the blog
It’s that time, again. The ten-day period between the anniversary of Rick’s death and his birthday, the day we held his celebration of life. August 13th to August 23rd, 2017: the most painful time of my life.
After seven years, it doesn’t hit as hard. Well, at least that’s what I thought. But I realized that all last week I … Read the blog
July 12th would have been our twenty-seventh wedding anniversary. In the seven years since Rick died, I’ve gone through many different stages of grief, and I’m a different woman than that distraught widow from years ago. Instead of sadness over his death, I more often look back feeling thankful for experiencing our life together. Instead of constant grief triggers that … Read the blog
I reported for jury duty a couple weeks ago. It’s probably my tenth time in the past 45 years since I was first summoned in my early twenties. However, this was the first time I’ve served that we were allowed to bring cell phones into the courthouse. Quite a perk!
Other years, I was in no-contact status with the world … Read the blog