“After my wife’s death, I got so many cards, letters, texts. But this one stopped me cold. The name brought a story so heavy, so dark, it was hard to believe she actually lived it. Knowing her story, you’d expect this sad, fearful person. It didn’t take me long to realize she was anything but. She was a beautiful girl with beautiful scars. And, suddenly, I wasn’t alone. The connection was effortless, natural, and deep. She gave me hope.”
‘Everything was changing. But it was grief that brought us together.’: Widows fall in love after losing spouses to tragedies, now a beautiful ‘blended family of 8’
‘She told me they were doing more tests to confirm, it was up to me if I wanted to tell him or not. Wait, what? You want me to tell him?’
“You want ME to tell him he has a terminal disease? I’m barely holding it together as it is, and I am supposed to sit with him and lie and pretend like I don’t know he’s dying?”
‘I walked by the man cave. ‘I love you very much!,’ he shouted. That night, at the age of 32, I became a widow.’: Pregnant wife’s harrowing journey after unexpected death of husband
“I finally fell asleep with the sounds of Dan’s snores in the background. At 3:40 a.m., for some odd reason, I opened my eyes. I heard silence. I ran downstairs. To this day, I have no idea why I panicked. I turned on the light to the man cave. He was right where I left him only 40 minutes earlier, still in his recliner. Only this time, I knew he wasn’t asleep.”
‘You are NOT a widow.’
“It might be meant to be funny and it might be catchy, but if you are saying it and your husband is still alive, you are using the term wrong. You are not a widow.”
‘Wives and mothers are constantly judged. Someone is always lurking in the background to remind you what you’ve done wrong. You don’t have to be one of them.’
“We should have each other’s back. We are the only ones who really know what you’re going through as a woman, a wife, a mother, a widow, a working mom, a stay-at-home mom.”
Emotional moment widow had to pause to ask herself, ‘Am I married to a cop?’
“I didn’t fall into the category of being married, and I didn’t fall in the category of being divorced, but by God, I was going to honor him. And, I was going to remember him.”
‘Three more weeks and we will never have to say goodbye again.’: Man recounts ‘fairy tale’ love story after fiance’s tragic death in car accident
“Dana was different than all the other girls. She had that classic All-American, girl next door quality. I was in awe. We became serious ‘girlfriend-boyfriend’ immediately. Monday night, we stood out in front of her house to say goodnight. We hugged, kissed and talked for 30 minutes. I smiled, kissed her again and said, ‘I love you.’ That’s the last time I saw Dana.”
‘There is a fallout from death that extends beyond the first year. Please, don’t forget us in the second.’
“My grief is not gone. My grief did not end when the first 365 days came and went. My grief is still raw. It is still painful. And it is still very present.”
“Please don’t forget to show up when you can, reach out when you have a minute, and sit quietly with us in our grief, even if it’s now different.”
After loss, widower groom overcome with emotion seeing his 77-year-old bride walk down the aisle
“After supporting one another through the passing of each of their spouses, their friendship blossomed into a deep love.”
‘With his body full of tumors, he kept working. He wanted to be normal. He just wanted to be a cop.’: Wife’s tremendous grief after husband’s pancreatic cancer diagnosis
“Sounds were coming out of her mouth. I assume they were words, but I can’t remember any of them. I do, however, remember her face. She took a deep breath before she said it. She cocked her head to the side. She slightly shrugged her shoulders. I remember she made this weird sound before she delivered the news. I remember Chad’s reaction, and I remember feeling like I had just been hit by a truck.”
