September 2024

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Good morning, my dear wanderers on this Grief Journey. As school begins again, our thoughts start going away from summer (even though it is still hot weather) and into fall with Halloween and Thanksgiving ahead. These are family events and can be challenging for us going through the loss of our husband or wife.
 

The death of a spouse is different than other loses, in the sense that it literally changes every single thing in your world going forward. When your spouse dies, the way you eat changes. The way you watch TV changes. Your friend circle changes (or disappears entirely). Your family dynamic life changes (or disappears entirely). Your financial status changes. Your job situation changes. It affects your self-worth. Your self esteem. Your confidence. Your rhythms. The way you breathe. Your mentality. Your brain functions. (Ever heard the word “widow brain?” If you don’t know what that is, count yourself as very lucky.) Your physical body. Your hobbies and interests. Your sense of security. Your sense of humor. Your sense of womanhood or manhood. EVERY SINGLE THING CHANGES. You are handed a new life that you never asked for and that you don’t particularly want. It is the hardest, most gut wrenching, horrific, life-altering of things to live with.
 

The truth is it takes a village like WPS members to get through the tough stuff in life. It doesn’t have to be a big village, but we all need people to help hold us up when life, loss and grief knocks us down. We help with our five-week Grief Support Series, because understanding how grief works will prepare you better for coping with loss, and our social events are safe places to be with others who understand.
 

There are no instructions for how to go through grief, but if there were, they would look like this…Take a deep breath… Hold it for a second…Let the breath out…Guess what? You just moved forward.
 

Enjoy the Labor Day Weekend. Hugs!

Ruth Turner, Outreach Chairman and Certified Grief Support Facilitator