Mary Francis

My husband died at the age of fifty-three and so I became a widow at the age of fifty.  Twenty-seven years of marriage and now I’m single, but I don’t feel like I’m single.  In fact I’m not married, not divorced and really not single – and so I’m a widow.  How odd that seems!

I didn’t want to go to group meetings or see a counselor (it just wasn’t for me) so I turned to other widows to find my answers.  I found parts of myself in the experiences that the other widows had before me.

It never occurred to me during the years I was putting my life together—family, business, home, and finances—that one day I would have to start all over.  Suddenly, I have been given a wide array of new choices—in effect,  a second life. I asked myself—Where do I start?

I started by talking to other widows and hearing their journeys of grief and healing.  Each story gave me some tip or advice that I was able to use in my personal life. In the end I knew that they could also help others that are grieving and so I put them into a book.  This book is all about our journeys and how we did or didn’t handle our grief.  In the end each journey is unique, but we can learn from each other.

One thing lead to another and before I knew it I was being asked to speak to organizations and small groups about how life changes when you lose someone you love.  I find that my own journey has taken me to areas that I had never considered when I was married.  I published a book, did a website, became a speaker/coach and have a monthly newsletter.

One thing for sure, if you open yourself up to the possibilities of life, you just don’t know where it can lead you.  So, don’t be afraid.  The worse has already happened – you lost your loved one -so from now on, go after life with all you have.  No one knows better then you just how fast life can be gone, so don’t hold back.

Listen to talk show on widows with Mary Francis ( click on 15:40 to get where talk show starts) maritimenoon_20101005_39175

For full interview go to – http://podcast.cbc.ca/mp3/maritimenoon_20101005_39175.mp3
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There is more information on Mary Francis at her personal website The Mary Francis.com .