Loss of a Family Member

After Loss of a spouse

Find hope and support by reading, listening and watching stories of spouse loss and recovery.

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Articles

  • Ten Ways To Keep Your Spouse’s Memory Alive

    Posted on July 9, 2019 - by Peggy Bell

    Becoming widowed is a gut-wrenching experience. It brings so much sadness and loneliness to our lives. It takes a huge adjustment to get through those days along the grief journey. […]

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  • Fly On

    Posted on June 22, 2019 - by Rosemary James

    “You found your wings, then you flew away from me,” resonates off the newly painted, lantern-gold bedroom walls. A brighter color to enliven my spirits. We had decided to paint […]

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  • Being Exquisitely Seen

    Posted on May 29, 2019 - by Tambre Leighn

    Books Saved Me I’ve been a lover of words and books and writers since childhood. I treasure the way we can be educated, transported, and transformed through what we read […]

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  • Grief Through the Rearview Mirror

    Posted on April 7, 2019 - by Tambre Leighn

    This big, horrible thing happens. You lose the person with whom you chose to partner for the challenging, amazing, and, sometimes, scary thing called life. Each of us has our […]

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  • Surviving Widowhood: Check Your Track Record

    Posted on February 10, 2019 - by Kerry Phillips

    There is something about widowhood that brings you to your knees. I remember feeling trapped in an alternative universe trying to make sense of the chaos that surrounded me. The […]

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  • Taking Care of Yourself Through the Grief Process: Interview with Dr. Howard R. Winokuer

    Posted on December 18, 2018 - by Howard Winokuer

    At the annual ADEC (Association of Death Education and Counseling), I spoke with Dr. Howard R. Winokuer about burnout after the death of a loved one and how we can […]

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  • A Widower’s Christmas Wish List

    Posted on December 17, 2018 - by Herb Knoll

    From as far away as Australia to the British Isles, from Canada to Nigeria, the Widowers Support Network hears the cries of men who mourn the loss of their wife, […]

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  • Perfect: Letter to a Deceased, Beloved Husband

    Posted on November 16, 2018 - by Linda Freudenberger

    Dear Jim, Music was blaring at Caesar’s Palace disco in Allentown, Pa. as we made our way through the crowd. My brother Dave and his fiancee, Ellen, convinced me to […]

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  • Giving Back After Coping with a Loss: Interview with Dr.Janna Henning

    Posted on September 6, 2018 - by Heidi Horsley

    At the annual ADEC (Association of Death Education and Counseling), I spoke with Dr. Janna Henning about her losses and how she went on to help other people the way […]

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  • To The Widow Struggling With Guilt

    Posted on September 3, 2018 - by Kerry Phillips

    On the outside, the world sees you hurting from the loss of your spouse. They don’t know; however, that in addition to the “normal” feelings of grief, you’re also struggling […]

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  • Widowers – Forced to Live in the Shadows

    Posted on July 4, 2018 - by Herb Knoll

    When asked, few people can name even one man who has been widowed.  But given a few moments for additional consideration, many are likely to say, “Oh wait a minute, […]

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  • Sunrise of Hope

    Posted on June 7, 2018 - by Diane Dettmann

    “I want people working through grief to know they are strong, capable, resilient human beings who have the strength to survive the death of their spouse and find themselves again—maybe even […]

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  • Every Single Breath

    Posted on May 7, 2018 - by Tambre Leighn

    The 17th anniversary of my husband’s passing was on my mind in the days leading up to it. Some years, it slipped by me without much notice. Other years, the […]

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  • My Big Widow Regret: Find Your Tribe

    Posted on May 7, 2018 - by Kerry Phillips

    At 32 years old, instead of planning my first wedding anniversary celebration, I was planning my husband’s funeral. There were no warnings, no time to say a final goodbye. One […]

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  • Life After Loss the Afterwards

    Posted on April 23, 2018 - by Laurel D. Rund

    On February 11th, 2018 it was nine years since my husband, Marty, passed away.  I saw a post on Instagram the other day which took my breath away because the […]

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  • There Was a Door…

    Posted on March 29, 2018 - by Linda Freudenberger

    I was on the inside perched on the comfy green recliner staring at our newly painted front door. I used to listen to music or the television while I played […]

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  • Love and Grief: When Loss Enters Marriage

    Posted on March 3, 2018 - by Luellen Hoffman

    Like most family-oriented guys, my friend Chris searched and searched for his true partner and soul mate.  I watched on the sideline as he spent months, lamenting on how he […]

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  • The Stuff of Death

    Posted on January 18, 2018 - by Kim Shute

    When my grandmother died, no one had touched the belongings in her attic or most of her house in at least 11 years. Her attic was the kind you access […]

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  • When the Final Words Were Angry

    Posted on December 26, 2017 - by Gloria Horsley

    I’m sure you have heard the marriage advice “Don’t go to bed angry.” Resolving spats before bedtime is the advice offered by almost any long-married couple. What happens when differences […]

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  • 7 Survival Strategies for the Newly Bereaved

    Posted on December 17, 2017 - by Tambre Leighn

    As a grief recovery coach, I often get emails from people who have just recently suffered a loss. They all want to know the same thing. What can they do […]

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  • Stories I Do Not Tell: Grief & Spirituality

    Posted on November 16, 2017 - by Tambre Leighn

    Einstein said, “Energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can only be changed from one form into another.” Strange that a scientist’s quote brought me comfort in dealing with the […]

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  • The Alzheimer’s Experience, Part I: ‘Which Island is This?’

    Posted on September 5, 2017 - by Charles Patterson

      Henry Van Winkle came out of the men’s room and sat down in front of his-half empty glass of beer at the small table nearest the promenade. The distinguished […]

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  • The Alzheimer’s Experience, Part II: ‘He Was Such a Strong, Proud Man’

    Posted on September 5, 2017 - by Charles Patterson

    “Henry hasn’t been that bad,” Mrs Van Winkle reported to Dr Miller. “The only big problem is he wakes up at night and thinks it’s morning. Then he wakes me […]

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  • Fingerprints: Losing a Husband, Living with Grief

    Posted on June 15, 2017 - by Kim Shute

    When he used to take off his socks next to our bed and throw them ceremoniously to the cork floor, he would spread the fingers of his chubby peasant hands […]

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  • Spring: Memories of Love, a Chance for New Growth

    Posted on June 5, 2017 - by Tom Hallman

    “You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep Spring from coming.” ― Pablo Neruda   Spring rain brings May flowers This was my partner Kim’s favorite time of […]

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  • The Blessing

    Posted on February 14, 2017 - by Cheryl Espinosa-Jones

    Not long before Joanne, my wife, died, she told me she expected me to love again. She said it would “not be right to waste all the lessons we’d learned,” […]

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  • ‘Do You Cook for Yourself?’: How to Remember a Loving Husband

    Posted on January 7, 2017 - by Vivian Clecak

    “Do you cook for yourself?”  a new acquaintance asks me. I smile to myself. She has no idea. She has opened the door wide. I begin: “No, I do not […]

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  • My Second Chapter: Life, Marriage, Family

    Posted on January 4, 2017 - by Michelle Jarvie

    Many people ask me, What’s it really like being re-married? My widow(er) friends want to know if I’m as happy as I was in my first marriage, if I compare […]

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