Today is National Widow’s Day. It also, according to my FB memories, is a day that I seem to announce some new leaps or steps toward new things I am making every year. (More about this in my next post.) First a bit about Widow’s Day.
We, widows, don’t need a day in order to remember we are widows. Believe me, we are aware of that every day. Even when the first years of shock & constant reminders ease, there is rarely a day that goes by that most of us don’t remember. Sometimes we may forget as we move forward into new dreams and lives separate from the life we had with our spouse. But, we always know – we are widows.
What this day can be for many of us, or at least it is for me, is a day to remember other things.
It’s a day to remember that as alone as we may feel, we aren’t alone and there are thousands of others out there who can say “In your story is my story.” We can know there are others who get it & there is comfort in that.
It’s a day to remember we are far stronger than we ever thought possible. It’s a great day to take stock of all of the millions of things, big & small, we have learned to do on our own.
It’s a day to remember that from the ashes of our lives can come a Rising. There can be new, bold, and bright dreams we never imagined dreaming. There is great hope in those dreams and great power in our dreaming. And there can be amazing new freedom as we gain new wings and start to fly again.
It’s a day to remember how very far we have come, even if we are newly widowed. I remember those first days of having simple tasks like taking a shower and making my coffee leave me feeling like I’d run a marathon. All I wanted to do every single day was hide in my house, under covers, with my kids, watching sitcoms. And some days we did, which was perfectly okay. Now, I still love my house and my covers, and my kids. But we are more likely to play games and do things outside and live a life not hidden away.
It’s a day to remember my life before I was a widow and was a wife of a living person. It’s a day to remember Russell, our life together, and all we dreamed of. It’s a day to smile at those memories.
It’s a day to stand tall, inviting all of my fellow widows to do the same, saying “I am worth being seen for who I am in all of my pain and all of my hopes. I am worth loving myself right where I am and dreaming of what more I can allow in that brings me joy.”
I am a widow and I am proud of who I have been, who I am today, and who I will be.
Hugs to all of you widows out there who are finding your own way. I see you. I hear you. I believe in you.
Lara 
Lara Peterson Coaching & Creations 