3 Valuable Ways Recreation Builds Resilience
19/06/2017
Are you incorporating recreation into your life regularly?
Recreation is defined as ‘activity done for enjoyment.’ It comes from the Latin ‘recreare’ which means to create again, renew, restore or revive.
Recreation is a great way to re-create your energy, improve your attitude and build resilience. Here’s why: Read the rest of this entry »
Sheryl Sandberg’s new book, “Option B”
27/04/2017
I’ve started reading Sheryl Sandberg’s new book, “Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience and Finding Joy.” You likely remember that Sandberg, COO at Facebook and author of Lean In lost her husband Dave suddenly a couple years ago.
Her title comes from a conversation with a friend where when she said, “But I want Dave!” Her friend replied, “Option A is not available. So let’s just kick the shit out of Option B.” Read the rest of this entry »
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 »
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 »
Two widows walk into a bar…
14/08/2015
Well, actually it was three widows in a cafeteria but you get the point.
View from the table
Recently while attending a conference onboard an Alaskan cruise I was looking for a seat in the casual dining room of the Lido deck. I saw a couple middle-aged ladies at a table for four and asked if I could join them. They welcomed me to their table and we began chatting. Read the rest of this entry »
Listening to Bruno Mars sing about the “same bed” feeling a “little bit bigger now” and the heart breaking a little “every time I hear your name” I think about my first Valentine’s Day as a widow. Read the rest of this entry »
Recreating Joy 