All Blog Postings by Mary
A Widow's Capacity to Keep Going
By Mary Francis · Originally published: July 6, 2012
Archive notice: This is a historical post from Mary’s years of blogging. Some older posts may mention products, courses or shop items that are no longer available, as Mary now focuses her time and energy on supporting widows inside her private Facebook community. The guidance and stories remain here as a free resource for widows.
For current ways to connect with Mary’s work, you can:
As widows we need to learn to take satisfaction in the small steps we take towards healing. The most content widows I know take joy where they can find it. Having something to look forward to, is such an essential part of our existence that it has the capacity to keep us going even when we want to give up.
We have the potential to make many wonderful discoveries in our grief journey and none will be greater than the discovery of our own strengths. You will find that you can conquer your fears, be more resourceful than you imagined and that you can go places and do things that you had never thought possible.
It’s really a matter of attitude. We can choose to be content and to be satisfied with our lives by looking forward to a future that we plan for. We can do the right thing – despite how we feel, despite the circumstances and despite what others might say or do. At the end of the day, we just need to keep moving forward because there is a very fine line between depression and grief.
The pursuit of my dream to help other widows has taken me out of my comfort zone, elevated my thinking, given me confidence and confirmed my sense of purpose. but most of all it gave me something to look forward to.
It’s true what they say, “The greatest value of your dream won’t be what you get from it; it will be who you become by pursuing it.” As widows, you and I will travel the grief journey and hopefully make the world a better place.
Optimists think that life is always good and pessimists believe that it’s all bad but the reality is that life is both. Only a widow who accepts and embraces life with all its trials will survive and heal.
How are you progressing in your grief journey? Some widows think they will be happy when they sell the house, when they get more money or when the kids grow up etc. but happiness isn’t somewhere in your future. Your happiness is in the present – in doing something with your life. It’s not enough to just survive, you need to stand your ground and really live again.
Don’t just exist, reacting to what others do or say, instead take control of your life. Make future plans and have dreams to work towards. You will discover that there is more to you than you had thought.