-
Grieving is hard. It’s Sad. It’s a lot of work!
Grieving is hard. It’s sad. It’s a lot of work! After Tony died, if anyone had said to me, “There will ultimately be a positive side to his sudden death” – I think I would have punched them in the nose. What I’ve learned since then through my own resilience (and the resilience I see…
-
Widower: Financial Land Mines
My father died when he was 33 years of age, so I realized the importance of getting my finances in order while still young. I bought life insurance, started an IRA investment account, wrote a will, and made sure that my wife was the primary beneficiary. During one period (2008 – 2012) I was sure…
-
How to find joy again
“Am I a joy to be around?” Many people seek joy in their lives and wonder why they don’t attract it. In widowhood, it’s easy to get locked in a downward cycle. The less joy you feel, the more hopeless things can look. You may long to be rescued from this (by yourself or by…
-
Widower: Anger – Fight It or Accept It?
Shortly after my wife’s death, I went to the mountains by myself for a week and screamed as loud and often as I wanted to. But now, 3 ½ years later, I no longer feel the intensity of anger I felt then. I soon forget how easy it was to cut myself off from others…
-
Fear-some Firsts
How to get through those hard anniversaries… that horrible first year I called them the “fierce-some firsts”: First Valentine’s Day. First Thanksgiving. First Christmas. First birthday (his). My birthday First birthday (the children’s). First “day we met”. First wedding anniversary. First angle-versary (anniversary of death). During that first year, as these “firsts” approached, I’d count…
-
Rediscovering Your Radar
Since becoming a widower, one of the most humbling discoveries I have made is that I know very little about women. While I grew to know my wife as well as I could know anyone, I simultaneously disconnected my radar associated with the pursuit of other relationships. While that was the proper thing to do…
-
Widower: Grieving Can Weaken or Strengthen Your Family
As I sank into deep grieving after my wife’s death, I became increasingly concerned about my sanity and ability to make sound decisions. At times the world around me seemed surreal, my short and long term memory became suspect, and I often just wanted to shut the door on everyone and just hide in my…
-
What are you going to be doing on New Year’s Eve?
WSN-MO: The Perfect Catch WSN-MO Dating and Relationship Coach, Christine Baumgartner asks… What are you going to be doing on New Year’s Eve? I’ve been talking about the holiday season and widowhood for the past couple weeks. In those articles, I haven’t included the New Year’s celebration because it often impacts people differently than the…
-
Proactive steps to help get you through the holidays
Proactive Steps to help get you through the holidays Last week I talked about the holiday season and widowhood: About the widower who says with tears in his eyes, “Christmas was always her thing”. About the grieving widow who tells me “he was such a big part of our family’s Hanukkah traditions”. Depending on how…
-
Grief Recovery Programs Need to Include Action Plans
Herb Knoll Author of the New Book, The Widower’s Journey http://www.WidowersSupportNetwork.com It’s no wonder so many people fail to complete grief counseling sessions that take place over a period of several weeks, with many attendees opting to bail out of such programs after just a week or two. Why? I believe one of the reasons…
Widowers Support Network 