“My teenage daughter was standing in the tree lot, her face scrunched up, drawing in a deep breath. Oh for the love of all that’s Holy, she’s going to cry again. ‘It’s a Charlie Brown tree!,’ she shrieked. I rolled my eyes, wishing I’d indulged in a second glass of vino. I thought the worst had passed. Then she blurted out the words I didn’t expect. ‘My dad would’ve NEVER bought this tree!’ There it was. Her dad, who always made everything perfect, died. In front of her. While she held his hand.”
‘Please don’t cry,’ I mumbled. ‘It’s a tree. It’s just a tree.’ And then it happened, full blown tears.’: Mom realizes teenage daughter’s meltdown was triggered by loss of father, ‘No matter how many presents I buy, nothing can heal her pain’
‘What does DTF mean? You swipe which way? Woah, you just sent me a pic of your privates.’ Dating life as a widow is terrifying.’: Young widow recalls first heartbreak post-loss of husband, ‘It stings like hell’
“Mr. Heartbreak knew all the right things to say. He came off very genuine. We clicked immediately, talked for hours on the phone. The first time we met, I was so nervous. He had these intense eyes that looked right through me. After having a drink, we made out in his car like teenagers. He pushed my hair back from my face, told me how beautiful I was. I let myself go there. Then, just like that, ‘This is not light and fun anymore,’ he said.”
‘Do you want to join me?,’ Sean asked. I said no. I agonize over that choice. I didn’t say goodbye.’: Woman loses ‘healthy, active’ husband to sudden heart attack while biking, ‘His death makes no sense’
“4 days after Christmas, it was a beautiful sunny day. ‘I want to ride the trails,’ my husband said. ‘Are you sure you don’t want to go?’ It got dark. By 5:30, I was encouraged to call 911. ‘My husband hasn’t returned,’ I told the dispatcher. Panic filled my soul. ‘Finding him is not our priority,’ I was told. I called my kids, who were forced to locate their dad on foot. I’ll never forget their faces. As I walked toward the trail, my son begged me not to get any closer.”
‘I went into this photo shoot hoping to capture Jack and his wife. Her health was rapidly declining. A true love story never ends, right?’: Community rallies to send hundreds of letters to widowed farmer
“One week after the shoot, his wife Reva was in hospice care. I asked others to join me in sending Jack letters and words of encouragement to bring joy to his grieving heart. In my heart, I hoped for 100 cards. I never in a million years would’ve imagined the outpouring of love for this precious man! YOU GUYS, Jack has received 435 letters!”
‘Geoff… GEOFF?!’ His eyes were wide open, staring at the sky struggling to breathe. He went limp.’: Pregnant woman loses husband from freak seizure on vacation, ‘they wouldn’t let me see him’
“We went on an organized boat trip. My husband decided to go in for a swim. 5 minutes in, he started to have some sort of seizure in the water. They took him to shore, leaving us on the main boat. I shouted at the captain, ‘Bring us back!’ The answer I got was chilling: ‘You need to think of the other people who paid for this trip, I cannot just turn the boat around.’ It took us another 2 days to find out where they had taken him.”
‘Mom! We’ve been in an accident! They can’t get Daddy to wake up.’ I asked if the airbags deployed.’: Woman loses husband in tragic accident, marries fellow widow, ‘My heart began to beat again’
“Eleven days later, I got a message from Todd. I had never met him in person. We began very innocent conversation about being ‘only parents’ to our children. We sat in that booth for 3 hours…. talking, laughing, crying. After we finally left, I sent a text. ‘I know I should be playing it cool, but I had a really great time. I’d like to do it again soon.’”
‘I can’t… goodbye… I love you,’ he slurred. I never heard the gunshot, just his screams. He wanted me to hear everything.’: Widow resorts to post-loss drinking, sex binges to cope with husband’s suicide, realizes he ‘wasn’t the monster mental illness made him out to be’
“‘I don’t love you. I never did. These past 7 years I’ve just been playing house with you and the kids.’ My husband scoffed these words to me after I found a video email from his married girlfriend confirming my worst nightmare. I was trembling uncontrollably. Later I sat on an old road listening to the helicopter above us trying to locate John while we passed my cell phone back and forth begging him to put down the gun. Just before 9 p.m., John asked for the phone to be handed back to me.”
‘Mama, can I see a counselor?’ My little is in 2nd grade, requesting therapy. She’s ‘having feelings.’: Widow learns to accept grief as positive, ‘these feelings reminds us it’s all real’
“It’s November 19 again. The ‘Deathaversary.’ The day I lost my husband, my kids their father. Mixed feelings of laughter, despair find me when I see a card my little one left on the junk table: ‘Deer dad, we all wish you could come back. A boy Luke likes me. I wish you could see him.’ I want these feelings to leave us the hell alone. And then again, I don’t. They keep him here with us.”
‘Where is my fridge?’ I asked, annoyed. I tapped my foot, waiting. ‘What?’ My jugular started pounding.’: Mom hilariously recalls really ‘bad day’ with teenage daughter when she lost her temper
“I came home from work, tired and weary. I crawled out of my car and shuffled past it. The open space where the mini fridge USED to be. ‘Did I get burglarized?’ Then, steam poured from my ears. ‘Teenagers!!!,’ I exclaimed. I balled my fists, losing my ever-loving mind. Oh, they know. Momma is ticked.”
‘It’s good to see you’re moving on.’ It’s been 2 years since my husband died. I’ll never ‘get over it.’: Widow candidly shares ‘gut-wrenching’ moments of grief, ‘our memories are fading’
“I found myself in the deoderant section at the grocery store for a really long time. I opened, breathed in every men’s Right Guard stick until I found the sport one. I held it close to my nose. I didn’t cry. I wanted to. But there was a guy behind me, browsing gift cards. I figured he’d find it really odd to see a woman weeping at the smell of antiperspirant in aisle 11. I’m trying not to forget his smell, but it’s fading.”
