Uncategorized – Widowhood Workshop

Reflections About the Black Letter

I hate widowhood! Since my wife died on Christmas morning of 2013, I have been forced to deal with life after spousal loss—every day, every night. Meeting her as a teenager, choosing to marry when we were both 19 years old, being married for 41 years, then losing her has forced me to deal withContinue reading “Reflections About the Black Letter”

I THINK A LOT ABOUT MARRIAGE NOW

(Reflections of a seasoned widower) I was nineteen years old when I said, “I do.” She was, too. What were we thinking? What did we know? Not much, but we knew, for sure, we wanted to be together. It worked, until it didn’t. Forty-one years later, after eight-plus years of decline due to Parkinson’s Disease,Continue reading “I THINK A LOT ABOUT MARRIAGE NOW”

I am NOT Single

I arrived for my vision care appointment. I am not a fan of digital check-in, but I did it anyway. When the screen appeared requesting my marital status, I mentally responded, “Are there actually that many options?” Of course, among the options were “Single,” “Married,” and “Widowed.” When I was 19 years old, one Wednesday night at the local park I proposed to my girlfriend. She said, “Yes!” Less than five months later weContinue reading “I am NOT Single”

ATTITUDES VS FACTS

Facts can be brutal. Life can bite. It can feel like life sometimes rips a part of your heart out. It is sad to see folks experiencing such harsh circumstances. Disease. Abandonment. Unemployment. Betrayal. Abuse. Neglect. Divorce. Bankruptcy. Injury. Loss. There are so many things that can go so terribly wrong in life. To someContinue reading “ATTITUDES VS FACTS”

DETERMINATION IS (ESPECIALLY) CRITICAL IN LIFE AFTER LOSS

Joy Johnson completed her 25th run in the New York City Marathon. In recent years she has annually been the oldest woman to participate in this event. She stumbled and hit her head near the 20-mile mark of the 26.2-mile race but, still, arrived at the finish line with a time of seven hours, 57Continue reading “DETERMINATION IS (ESPECIALLY) CRITICAL IN LIFE AFTER LOSS”

GROW: GOAL #3

(This is the third in a series of three blogs about the widowhood journey.) Here is a plan for life after loss of a spouse: Goal #1: Survive. Goal #2: Cope (seeprevious blogs). Goal #3: Grow. It is not the mere passing of time but what we dowith our time that determines whether or not weContinue reading “GROW: GOAL #3”

COPE: GOAL #2

(This is the second in a series of three blogs about the widowhood journey.) The first realistic goal for a recently widowed person is survival (see previous blog). There is no need to think of coping if we do not choose to survive the loss of our spouse. Make no mistake, it is a choice. A friend’s FacebookContinue reading “COPE: GOAL #2”

SURVIVE: GOAL #1

(This is the first in a series of three blogs about the widowhood journey.) Overwhelmed. It can feel like you are drowning and you don’t have what it takes to keep your head above water. Despair. It can seem like there is no hope. Shock. This is not real. This can’t be happening. Numb. HeartbreakContinue reading “SURVIVE: GOAL #1”

What is the Purpose of Our Annual Retreat

Dr. Ira North, probably best known for his lengthy ministry with the old Madison church in Middle Tennessee, recommended to churches that wanted to grow to go “all out” for young people. I agreed with that when I first read it in his book and still believe he was “spot on.” One of the effectiveContinue reading “What is the Purpose of Our Annual Retreat”