This morning I woke, the bedroom was very dark except for a ray of incredibly bright light shining through the smallest crack in the curtains. It was a wonderful way to start the day, as I felt that he was sending me a clear message from the heavens above…for all the darkness that surronds you, the smallest ray of hope is worth holding on to and enjoying.
I went down stairs and figured there were many rays of hopes for all of us widows and widowers, here are some I jotted down

The smile that I made when I saw a young …read more

Just 23 minutes to go until Christmas day
A day when familys gather and smiles fill the air
Oh, 7 hours and 23 minutes until I wake
And realise once again, YOU my soulmate, are not there

But fear not world I will put on the paint
And sense your warmth from up above
Which will get me through the day, a day of loss
Through the one thing you gave me, they could not take away….
…Your love.

Happy Christmas, love you as much today as when you went away….

Oh dear what a Christmas – I was blue lighted into hospital last Sunday and spent all of the holiday in hospital. Today (Sat 29th) I have been allowed out for a couple of days as I won’t be having my operation until next week. It is wonderful to see family and friends.
The holiday season is normally a tough time with many memories however this year I have found a new way of coping with grief – be ill and worry about your health!
I would like to thank everyone for the wonderful thoughts they sent me, I am sure everything …read more

In the UK there was a helicopter crash this week which was returning fathers home to their children for Christmas. How heartbreaking the story is, with children waiting for Dad to come home so they could celebrate Christmas…my heart goes out to the families. One quote referred to 2 boys who ” broke their hearts”
 I want to send out personal wishes to the families and also to anyone else who lost someone dear to over the last few days. It is hard enough losing someone, but during the holiday season it can be harder. One blessing is that hopefully there …read more

My mum, who has done so well since losing her husband – my wonderful dad, has not been well this week. Headaches, tiredness etc Although it may be a virus, I believe that it the time of the year, she misses him and this causes her sadness. She wants him here with the family, a family he loved. I am writing about this because it is quite common to feel under the weather when you are missing someone. For me I am going to pick her up on Saturday and she is going to stay for a fortnight…we will laugh, we …read more

I posted this week about launching a weekly podcast to share stories with everyone and asking for listeners for stories. I was delighted to receive this from Tiffany and wanted to share it with you all…. 
I read of a man, who stood to speak at the funeral for a friend;
he referred to the dates on her tombstone from beginning to end.
He noted that first came the date of her birth and spoke of the second with tears
but he said that what mattered most of all, was the dash between those years.
For that dash represents all the time that she spent alive …read more

When you are coping with the death of a loved one, you are often faced with constant jobs to be performed, constant visits from family and friends. I have found that it is also important to find time for your own self reflection…as it comes to the end of the year, sit down and reflect on what has happened, how the bereavement has changed your life, how grief has changed you as a person. Here are some thoughts
Resolve that you have faced up to the grief, faced up to the loss. You have survived, you are still hurting but YOU have …read more

A great idea that my friend told me about……find or print some photo’s of your loved one, then make them into a bauble with slits…that way they are remembered at such a family time of the year. I love this idea as I have chosen photo’s of him smiling, laughing at previous family Xmas gatherings. Thought I would share this with you as a practical way of dealing with your bereavement.

As you get a job and have children your life gets busy….you don’t mean to not spend time with your friends and family but sometimes it is hard to fit everything in. When my dad died, one of the positives was how it brought us closer together. We invest more time as a family, ensuring that we all know that we are loved and supported – wrong that death should be the instigator but I am glad that we are now closer than ever before. Losing someone dear makes you sit down and think about what really is important to you…how …read more

Wanted to show you all this poem sent in by a reader of the blog….thanks Tiffany for sharing it with us.
When Tomorrow Starts Without Me
When tomorrow starts without me and I’m not there to see
If the sun should rise and find your eyes all filled with tears for me
I wish so much you wouldn’t cry, the way you did today
While thinking of the many things we didn’t get to say
I know how much you love me, as much as I love you
And every time you think of me I know you’ll miss me too
But when tomorrow starts without me please try …read more