Early Widowhood: Guide to Coping with Grief

I was there, in the pain. Where everything is dark and daunting.

When the physical death of your great love is a reality, your heart breaks. The pain creates a deafening noise that leaves you helpless in the face of what you’re experiencing. But what if I told you that behind that heartbreak, the light that creates you slips through?

Early widowhood is one of the most heart-wrenching experiences there is. Thousands of questions fill the days and nights: Where have the dreams of a life together gone? Where are old age, the grandchildren, and coffee? Where does love go now that he’s gone?

The answers now lie in a decision that can propel us out of the whirlwind’s grip if we allow ourselves to be carried through the grief.

Like you, I am a widow, and I’m not even 40 years old.

I’m also a mother, a teacher, a writer, and the founder of a community for young widows. In the following pages, you’ll find the first three decisions I made during my first year of grieving—decisions that allowed me to begin rebuilding my life.

I invite you to read along; this is the first of four guides I’ll be sharing with you. Each is written in a simple, straightforward way to accompany you on this journey.