A Perfect First Date for a Widow
01/08/2016
Have you started dating since losing your spouse?
Here’s an excerpt from my book, Building A Life You Love After Losing the Love of Your Life about my first date after the loss of my husband.
The Perfect First Date
About two years after Phil passed I had my first date. At least I thought it was a date. Read the rest of this entry »
Enjoy Life and Do Good!
05/06/2016
(The following is an excerpt from my memoir, “Building A Life You Love After Losing the Love of Your Life,” published in 2016, six years after losing my husband, Phil to a brain tumor.) 
I have always been philosophical, looking for meaning and purpose in life and its events. I study life. Phil lived life. He didn’t try to analyze it. That was one of the attributes I loved most about him. Maybe that’s why I’m the one left behind– to analyze, to reflect upon the deeper learning.
About a month before Phil died he was in neuro-ICU Read the rest of this entry »
Are you watching Grey’s Anatomy?
01/04/2016
“You’re no longer a widow.” Dr. Meredith Grey’s therapist said to her a few episodes ago on the popular TV show, Grey’s Anatomy. “You’re married to a dead man.”
Is Shonda Rhimes reading my book? I have a chapter called, “Married to a Dead Man.” Read the rest of this entry »
A camp for widows and widowers?
04/03/2016
When Michele Neff Hernandez was widowed at a young age and couldn’t find a community of widows who wanted to focus on moving forward she created one. From that first, small gathering of widows and widowers Camp Widow® has grown into three weekend long events. Read the rest of this entry »
Buy Yourself Flowers for Valentine’s Day
08/02/2016
Phil always brought me a dozen roses on Valentine’s Day. Brought. They weren’t delivered. He thought that was too extravagant. Every Valentine’s Day he would stop by the grocery store on his way home and pick up a dozen roses. I’d make dinner. We’d exchange cards and have a romantic evening at home.
The first Valentine’s Day after he passed Read the rest of this entry »
Gratitude During Difficult Times
02/02/2016
Sometimes after loss our hurt is so strong that we think there’s nothing to be grateful for. My existing gratitude practice helped me to look for the little daily blessings during his illness and after his death.
The following is an excerpt from my newly released book, Building A Life You Love After Losing the Love of Your Life. Read the rest of this entry »
Loss and Lessons Learned
29/01/2016
January 12, 2016 a hundred or so of my friends, associates and their guests came to celebrate with me as I launched my memoir, Building A Life You Love After Losing the Love of Your Life at the Georgia Public Broadcasting. I felt like a celebrity and was touched that so many showed up to help launch the book. You can click HERE to read about the event and see photos.
Sadly, my therapist, Robin Kirby, Ph.D. wasn’t able to attend Read the rest of this entry »
“…with a little help from my friends”
29/01/2016
“Behind every successful woman is a tribe of other women who have her back.” Unknown
Sean O’Keefe, me, Vikki Locke and Kimberley Kennedy
My tribe has really outdone themselves.
On Tuesday, January 12th my memoir, Building A Life You Love After Losing the Love of Your Life officially launched with an event at Georgia Public Broadcasting. Read the rest of this entry »
Building A Life You Love…
19/01/2016
I’m very excited to announce the launch of my memoir, Building A Life You Love After Losing the Love of Your Life.
I read several widow memoirs after my husband died over six years ago. I found it encouraging to read how others had survived what, at the time, seemed unsurvivable. One of the things I noticed is that most of the books started with the diagnosis or accident and went through all the treatment, hospital visits, ups and downs of illness then the death and funeral. The book would be halfway or two-thirds over before they talked about how they dealt with life after the loss.
My book starts the day after the burial with a chapter called, “In Bed with Jose Cuervo.” Read the rest of this entry »
Christmas Tree-Dition
18/12/2015
Our “first Christmas together” ornament from 20+ years and way too many pounds ago!
Each year, early in December, we’d decorate the tree while listening to Trans-Siberian Orchestra and drinking wine. Once the tree was done we would sit in front of the fire, finish off the wine, admire our tree, and reminisce with stories brought to mind by various ornaments. Read the rest of this entry »
Recreating Joy 