Monday, June 13, 2011
Camp Widow
It has been nearly five years since my husband passed away. Life for us has changed in ways I could never have imagined. It has been a difficult road, and I must say that I have never felt so alone as when I was in the early stages of grief. It was not until I was able to connect with other widows did I realize that what I was experiencing was normal. Being totally on my own, raising three children with no family support was so sad and exhausting. My main source of emotional support was an online community of widows that I happened to stumble upon. Thank god for that happy accident. I spent lots of sleepless nights reading the posts that they left and realized that I was not alone. My part of the world did not have an active real life widow community, and I longed to make those connections. I have attended a couple of dinners and one large weekend event, and came away with some life long friends. Reaching out and connecting with widows has given me some of the most amazing experineces of my life. I have grown and changed so much over the last five years. I value more than ever my friends who have also lost a life partner. I would love to experience Camp Widow, I have watched it grow since 2007. I am still somewhat stuck in grief and need to find a way to move beyond the trauma of becoming a widow. There are so many amazing people offering to share there successes and offering tools to become who we want to be. I feel that I am truely ready to be happy again, I know he would want me to be. Camp Widow, help me to get there!!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Please Allow Me To Introduce Myself
Yes, my name really is Nancy Drew!
I like to tell stories. As a child I loved the escape of reading and writing. At night I could be found under my covers with a flashlight reading one of my favorite stories or writing in my diary. I wrote my first stories in grade school. In the third grade I wrote a play called "Writing To Pen Pals", the class even performed it! I loved writing short stories and poetry all through school.
I get excited about new ideas and dive into research projects; especially for a good cause. Occasionally I get on a soap box when I feel passionate about something.
My 2009 New Year’s resolution was to stop watching TV. It only took about a week for everyone to adjust and now we don’t miss it a bit.
The things that I like to write about usually fall under these headings:
Parenting
I have three fantastic boys! They are amazing kids; smart, caring and funny. The boys are 18, almost 16, and my youngest just turned 9. We also have a sweet mini German Shepherd rescue who joined our family about a year ago.
We love to travel. We recently moved across the country from the Midwest to California to get a fresh perspective on life. We found a beautiful spot in the Redwood forest with the elves and the fairies, perfect for telling stories.
Adoption
I was adopted as an infant and began to search for my birth-family when I turned 18. It took many years but I was ultimately reunited with my birth-mother and her family. I have yet to find my birth-father.
Volunteering
I started volunteering at a very young age. I organized a back yard carnival for the Muscular Dystrophy Association in grade school. When I was in junior high I worked with autistic and other special children who lived in residential treatment. I took them swimming every Saturday and spent summers volunteering there in the occupational therapy department. I still enjoy volunteering in my son's classrooms and the community.
Helping Our Community
My late husband and I realized a dream by opening a not for profit shelter for kids. Our goal was to help teen girls as they aged out of foster care. It was extremely rewarding and often exhausting work.
Divorce Survival
I know what it’s like to live way too long in an unhappy marriage and how it affects the whole family. I started a new life with very little as a single working mom.
Blending Families
Quite unexpectedly I found love again. I remarried and we blended our families. Our new family had ‘his’ and ‘mine’ and a year after our wedding we had ‘ours’. It was a very wonderful and challenging experience.
Life As a Widow With Children
I will share the story of my husband’s death and of how the boys and I have once again started over. I will tell you about the heroes and the villains that appeared on my threshold and how we survived it all. I have written a couple of stories for children regarding the death of a parent.
I look forward to sharing our journey with you.
I like to tell stories. As a child I loved the escape of reading and writing. At night I could be found under my covers with a flashlight reading one of my favorite stories or writing in my diary. I wrote my first stories in grade school. In the third grade I wrote a play called "Writing To Pen Pals", the class even performed it! I loved writing short stories and poetry all through school.
I get excited about new ideas and dive into research projects; especially for a good cause. Occasionally I get on a soap box when I feel passionate about something.
My 2009 New Year’s resolution was to stop watching TV. It only took about a week for everyone to adjust and now we don’t miss it a bit.
The things that I like to write about usually fall under these headings:
Parenting
I have three fantastic boys! They are amazing kids; smart, caring and funny. The boys are 18, almost 16, and my youngest just turned 9. We also have a sweet mini German Shepherd rescue who joined our family about a year ago.
We love to travel. We recently moved across the country from the Midwest to California to get a fresh perspective on life. We found a beautiful spot in the Redwood forest with the elves and the fairies, perfect for telling stories.
Adoption
I was adopted as an infant and began to search for my birth-family when I turned 18. It took many years but I was ultimately reunited with my birth-mother and her family. I have yet to find my birth-father.
Volunteering
I started volunteering at a very young age. I organized a back yard carnival for the Muscular Dystrophy Association in grade school. When I was in junior high I worked with autistic and other special children who lived in residential treatment. I took them swimming every Saturday and spent summers volunteering there in the occupational therapy department. I still enjoy volunteering in my son's classrooms and the community.
Helping Our Community
My late husband and I realized a dream by opening a not for profit shelter for kids. Our goal was to help teen girls as they aged out of foster care. It was extremely rewarding and often exhausting work.
Divorce Survival
I know what it’s like to live way too long in an unhappy marriage and how it affects the whole family. I started a new life with very little as a single working mom.
Blending Families
Quite unexpectedly I found love again. I remarried and we blended our families. Our new family had ‘his’ and ‘mine’ and a year after our wedding we had ‘ours’. It was a very wonderful and challenging experience.
Life As a Widow With Children
I will share the story of my husband’s death and of how the boys and I have once again started over. I will tell you about the heroes and the villains that appeared on my threshold and how we survived it all. I have written a couple of stories for children regarding the death of a parent.
I look forward to sharing our journey with you.
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