-
The Season of Fall and All Its Opportunities
By Tom Peyton For meteorologists, September 1st marks the beginning of Fall. For most parents, September means a return to school for their children, and for most people, a return to the routines of the Fall season. For those in the world of grief and loss, the season can trigger the loss, pain, and sadness…
-
Do We Ever Live Again? Or Do We Just Exist?
by Cynthia Mascarenhas Life drags on. In one sense, it is mundane. In another, it is so full of unpredictability. Unexpected emotional peaks and troughs. Unexpected challenges to our emotional, psychological, and physical health. The inability to envision a future, dream, plan, and have a sense of excitement. An overwhelming sense of despair characterizes each…
-
Memories and Grief
by Dr. David Knapp, PhD It has been said that time and memories are the griever’s friend. In the weeks after my first wife died, I became very concerned that the people would forget Ruth. I did not want that to happen because I knew I would not forget her. My mind was full of…
-
Accepting Your Partner’s Faults
By Fred Colby “Mother Theresa” is what my daughters and many of her friends called my wife during her lifetime. This was initially inspired when she dressed up like Mother Theresa during a Halloween celebration at Wangenheim Middle School, where she worked part-time. She carried a donation jar labeled “Help Mother Theresa Go to the…
-
Familiar Places
Familiar Places I know this happens to you. As you travel around your town, you pass by many places that were once either special or routine to you and your late wife. If you’re like me, sometimes you pass by them absentmindedly. Other times it brings tears to your eyes. For me, the places are…
-
So Tied To You
My late wife, Jan, loved music. Her tastes in music varied widely. We began dating in 1969, on the tail end of the fabulous 60s era of music. Our first decade of marriage was the 70s. The best songs of that era stayed with us throughout her life, as they reminded us of happy times…
-
Life After Death?
After our wife passes, many of us will ask the question we desperately want an answer to: “Does she still exist? Is she still aware of me? Can she hear me or see me? Is there any way for me to communicate with her?” No matter our religious beliefs, some struggle to make sense of…
-
A Shout Out to Everyone Trying Right Now
A couple of weeks ago, Brother Larry Ahrens shared a brief thought from SC Laurie titled “A Shout Out to Everyone Trying Right Now.” This amazingly well-put-together thought was also written about so poignantly last week by Brother Tom Peyton. At that time, I posed the idea with Tom about offering articles built around this…
-
The Grief Club: My strength and hope
I never imagined that I would be a member of this group at age sixty-three. It’s a group no one wants to join, but circumstances, the loss of a loved one, put me into this club. You and I are part of a group of strangers, most of whom we would never have…
-
Can You Heal While Living in the Past?
If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present. Lao Tzu (6th-century BC Chinese philosopher) When we first enter deep grieving after losing our wives, we often do everything we can think of to…
Widowers Support Network 