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Widower: How Grief Changes Us
Grief, really deep grief, can change you! I see examples of this change through my men’s grief group, responses to my online blogs, online widowers groups, and chance meetings I have with fellow widowers in my community. This change does not happen overnight, it can take months if not years to happen. Many are shocked…
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Widower: Experiences All the Same??
WSN-MO: Widower to Widower with Fred Colby One thing I have learned since my wife passed over three years ago, is that much in my experience has common elements with that of other widowers, but we each also have some very unique components in our individual journeys. Discovering our common elements provides comfort and encouragement…
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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…
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The Pursuit of Happiness
As widowed men, each of us has experienced a significant wound. This wound like any other will take time to heal. The time it takes for this wound to heal is unique to each one of us. Many of us will however at some point experience the healing of this wound to the point where…
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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…
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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…
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Widower: Avoiding Downward Spirals
Grief can pummel you physically, emotionally, and mentally in ways that make you feel as if you will never be able to live a normal life again. The physical pain can drive you to your knees. At times you may just sit on the stairs and sob. Mentally, you can find yourself incapable of processing…
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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…
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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…
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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…
Widowers Support Network 