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Tag: hope4widows

November 18, 2022

The Golden Years – a Poem on the Hope for Widows website

The Golden Years

I never thought I’d be alone
In the golden years…
This stage of life we longed for
Retired from the nine to five drudge
Free to do anything we wanted.

When we looked towards the future,
we saw beaches and travel
More of this!
We said, when we took that three-week trip to Europe
Some day, we’ll …
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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

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

May 14, 2022

The Ordinary Moments – May 2022 Hope for Widows Blog

I was watching a Brene Brown video and she talked about how everyone wants to have extraordinary experiences, but how the little things in life really matter more. She said that after stunning life events, like near-death experiences, the death of a loved one, or other traumas, in the aftershock, what we miss are the ordinary moments before the event … Read the blog

April 9, 2022

Love Is All – Sadly Erasing Him From My Future

I attended a writers’ conference two weeks ago. I’m still working (reworking) my plans for life without Rick after retirement. We had big plans. We started our web design business in 2001 with the goal of having plenty of work that we could enjoy doing together remotely from our favorite spot in Florida half the year, and back near our … Read the blog

February 8, 2022

A Piece of Him Inside Me – February’s blog on Hope for Widows’ Site

One of my new favorite shows, 1883, has the characters saying some memorable lines. Since I’m involved in a relatively new romance, some of the lines about love give my heart a pleasant little twinge. But a discussion about grief in the last episode left me sobbing in a way I haven’t in a while. It was that pleasure/pain … 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

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

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

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

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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 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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