Widowhood: When Two Becomes Just You

A doctor out of the ER room your spouse is in with a solemn look; you open the door to a sad-looking police officer, hat in hand; or you are at your spouse's hospice bedside when that last breath is taken. It does not matter how you find out you are now a widow or a widower. The shock to your system, the overwhelming sense of grief, the numbness is the same. You are now on your own. Your most beloved person in the world has departed.

It also does not matter if you have been married five years or fifty; you are broken. An overwhelming sense of loss engulfs you. Your life partner, the person you have shared the good days with, the joys and the sorrows, the amazing, breath-taking awe-inspiring moments with, the depths of depression with, is no longer. The one person you want to hug right now and tell how awful you feel is the one person who is not there.

You are alone. This is when two becomes just you.

If you are anything like me, you will feel overwhelmed and depressed. Grief is so hard. Nothing prepares you for the overwhelming grief that you deal with when you lost the love of your life, the person who was your better half. It feels like you have been torn in half, and you cannot function. It is called widow/er's "brain" or "fog." Remembering things and focusing is genuinely difficult. Your first two years are particularly challenging.

I authored this book in hopes of helping others through it with more grace than I had. I have been widowed twice. And realized the second time was easier simply because I knew what to expect and how to organize myself. So, if you could learn that upfront, your grief journey would be a bit better. It is my sincere hope that this book helps you navigate your grief journey easier and gets you back to a joyful life faster and with less stress. I am living proof that you can get there. I have gotten back to joy twice. If I can do it, so can you.