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Learning From Each Other
All widowers… you, me, the guy down the street… we all have something in common… we are going, or have gone, through hell on earth. We may have different experiences on this journey, but we also have many commonalities… especially if we were fortunate enough to have a good loving marriage. We can support each…
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We Are Worthy!!
WSN-MO: Widower to Widower with Fred Colby Whether quoting from Wayne’s World or the Bible, the phrase “I am not worthy” may describe how we feel at times after our wives pass away. A ritual of self-condemnation and feelings of inadequacy often overwhelm us at this time. It is so easy to fall into a…
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Winning (even when you don’t know it)
Good morning brothers! I’ve been in Naples for three weeks. My last writing to the group was two weeks ago. The first week here was one of the hardest that I’ve experienced since Joyce died. The loneliness was brutal. I had myself convinced I should return to Indiana. I looked for new things to do…
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One Mississippi, Two Mississippi
Since your wife died, how often have you been thoroughly confused by the kindness of women towards you? How often have you, even though you know it is wrong, thought there might be something there? I am not embarrassed to tell you that I had many such instances. For example, within a few months of…
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Dating as a Widow: The Fear of Loneliness
(Gents: Pay close attention. Great lessons to follow) The fear of loneliness is what compels people to seek relationships. A neonate cries out loud upon waking up from a nap but is comforted immediately upon seeing a smiling face loom over the crib. A toddler wants to be tucked in bed; it is not the…
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Forgiveness – what role does it play in my grief journey?
Guilt and anger are recognized characteristics of the grief journey – Guilt over what could have been done or should have been done; guilt over things left unsaid or things that were better left unsaid; guilt over those fleeting moments where a smile might form around the corners of your mouth; guilt for some unknown…
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Laundry
With the holidays behind us, we widow-men may feel relieved to return to the mundane duties of normal life. If you had house guests, you may still have a backlog of laundry. “Marriage is about the most expensive way for the average man to get laundry done.” Burt Reynolds A lady friend told me about…
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Winning Thursday Thoughts from Jim Winner
____________________________________________ Today marks day 214 since my Joyce died. Even though she was sick for seven months, and we knew for a month, she was going to lose her battle with cancer, I had no idea of what real grief would be like. For the first three months, I seriously questioned not how I would…
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Reinventing Yourself to Live Again
WSN-MO: Widower to Widower with Fred Colby When Theresa, my wife of 45 years, passed just before midnight on June 29, 2015, I lost three of the four legs that formed the foundation of my life: my wife, family, job, and faith. Only my family remained, while my faith was in crisis. To add to…
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A New Year – the promise of a New You!
The passage of time does not always bring with it an anticipation of a “new tomorrow.” Somewhere deep within, I know, “Out with the Old and In with the New” is an adage that is only partially true. Some parts of me have left me forever only in a physical and tangible sense; I still…