Understand that first year as a widow – holidays, special occasions and emotionally charged events that leave you depressed and lonely.
It’s a mistake to think that a New Year is an automatic fresh start and that your grief will just lessen by magic. Grief has to have its time, it needs to be spoken of, seen and felt so that … Read More
I don’t know if you’re spending today with your family, close friends, neighbours or just having a quiet day by yourself. But what I do know is that without a doubt you are missing your loved one. Some of your … Read More
Widows know more than anyone that things have changed. Yes, they have changed and some traditions are no longer possible or even wanted without our loved ones. Don’t feel guilty if you want to stop or change some traditions. If … Read More
After the death of your husband, no one holiday is more difficult to endure than your first Christmas. Part of the reason is that Christmas is not just one day, it’s a “season” – from Thanksgiving on. It seems that … Read More
Unfortunately when you became a widow, your finances may have taken a big hit. Now Christmas is coming and after years of happy Christmas giving, you’re stressed with worry about how to continue when you are struggling with just paying … Read More
My role isn’t to tell you how to grieve over the holidays or “get over” your loss faster, but to remind you that grief is normal and natural, and you’re doing it just fine. That’s right, you’re doing this your … Read More
In everything we do, we are either meeting our needs or we are not. Learning to make the choices that will effectively meet our needs is a key to the pursuit of happiness and that is saying something important, when … Read More
Grieving is hard and so for self-protection we put up a wall around our frail feelings. We insulate ourselves and in time it makes us feel even more numb. When you understand your grief and your emotional journey, you won’t … Read More
To me, as a widow, being bold means taking on a new future that speaks to who I am and the person who I want others to see. As we know, life is too short not to go after what … Read More
July 8, 2019 Mary Francis, I’m a food reporter at the New York Times, and I’m working on a story about grief and cooking. I’ve spoken to many bereavement counselors who have told me about the pain many of their … Read More