I first met Lori Fox on a cold November night. Over our coffee she encouraged me hugely, and her words again reminded me that in God’s plan, no crisis is without abundant blessing. Maybe that blessing is not seen at the moment, but it will be. Our husbands both entered heaven on the wings of Lou Gehrig’s disease, April 21, different years, Bob in 2006, Eric in 2010. Thankfully she has shared her story with us.

I first met Christy in Colorado Springs, Summer 2012. She had just moved into her new home with sons Landon, Caleb, and Joel, ages 12 to 3. She hosted a group of military widows. I had the humbling honor of listening to their stories, and their unique needs. Yes, we laughed, cried, and found we had some things in common, though the military experience is truly unique.

My name is Brittany Grider and I am a 28 year old widow. My husband, Aaron, was killed in September of 2010 while serving in Afghanistan. My worst nightmare had come true, and now I faced life on this earth without my husband, partner and best friend by my side.

I have not met Kerri personally, however, I think her story is important to us all. What a woman of courage! This is taken and used with permission from From Stories of Faith and Courage from the Home Front by Karen Whiting and Jocelyn Green. 

I am the father of two (a teen and a preteen), one of whom is adopted.  Since June of this year I’ve been the primary Caregiver for my elderly parents who are showing signs of dementia and for the past 8 months I’ve been a widower.   Even as a male I identified with much of what Mrs Neff had to say.

I have not met Cheryl personally, however, I think her life and continuing walk of faith is an example to us all. I’d encourage you to read her book “Beauty Beyond the Ashes.”

Hatie’s story is a departure from those you see here. She entered heaven decades ago. Grandma Hatie was an intriguing lady. She and Grandpa lived with us during his illness, and she lived with us much of her widowed life, which was probably 30 years.

There’s an invisible knife sticking out of my heart. My fifty-nine-year old husband lost his valiant battle with colon cancer. I wait for him to call, to hear his hearty laugh — but silence looms. I long to talk to him about our five children – but he is gone. 

Kim’s love story will bring a smile and a tear.  I met her on a cruise which was a gift to several of us widows.  Yes, this is our cruise ‘table.’  We laughed and had more fun than any one else, baked our skins laying on the sand, and treasured discovering that our common bond, born of tragedy, resulted in comfort, that rare gift of being able to live in the moment, and new friendships.

As we faced the challenges of life together, our love song had many tunes.  Some songs were romantic and sensuous as we carved out time for each other on date nights and on weekend bed and breakfast trips. Other songs were nursery rhymes and theme songs from Saturday morning cartoons, playing as we raised a blended family of six children.  Some were exciting and lively as we traveled on mission’s trips together, acting, clowning, and dancing our way across places like Russia and Belize.  But the last song was a song in the night as we faced the horrors of cancer.  Singing our battle song we fought hard for ten months.

I met Miriam at a Widow’s Luncheon that a local church was hosting. I was extremely excited to hear of her visiting, since I had read her book “From One Widow to Another” shortly after I lost my husband. I gained such needed knowledge and felt like I could finally put a game plan together for the next year.

Nancy Horton was my delightful hostess in Tyler Texas. Greeting me in the airport, we were dressed alike! A kindred spirit for sure! Fellow educators, our conversation was non stop as we had dinner with widow friends, drove to events, and she added a bonus tour of the azalea gardens of Tyler before our airport good bye. Though her story here focuses on Christmas, her truths and insights are year round wisdom and comfort.

Milena Bekteshi is a young widow I hope to meet. In exploring helping widows in Albania, my friend, Enkelejda, sent me her story. I share it here with encouragement that God’s love for widows transcends differences in cultures and countries. While I cannot imagine the death of one’s husband while in the hospital giving birth to her son, I do know God’s comfort is great enough for any circumstance.

I came home, leaving part of my heart in Kibera and knowing that one day I would return. In reflection, I can see God’s hand in all that He had planned for me. In October of that same year, God called Joe home, after fighting a courageous 3 year battle with kidney cancer. My grief journey began… I had lost the love of my life and my best friend.

Darlene Parks has said yet another, “Good bye.” Her hardest ‘Good Bye’ was in December, 2008 when her husband Dan was tragically killed in an accident leaving her with children ages 17, 14, and 13. With our email meeting, she shared her reality today.

I met Kathleen at a widow’s conference in 2009 and discovered a kindred spirit. Yes, we were running buddies for a 5K. I loved her moving forward spirit. She was working on a book that I knew would be valuable to all of us helping us with those money questions. That book is now an award winning success. And she has more ideas! You’ll love getting to know her.

The late summer sun streams on us in Judy’s garden room. It is an unusually quiet moment. Her five children, ages five to eighteen, are at school. She was in what we call “The Season:” the week of her husbands death.

Diane came to our group in her early days of loss. With two preschoolers, life required her to move forward as a parent alone, even though she was feeling consumed and overwhelmed with grief. She shared her story. Yes, we wept with her, hugged, and prayed.

I met Ferree through her blog. I was encouraged by her determination to be patient and see the positives, the seeds of joy that were watered by her tears. Her popular blog has encouraged thousands. Thank you, Ferree, for letting us share your story.

I met LaTanya when she came to my home for a widows event. She brought another widow who was new on her journey. It was evident that LaTanya knew just what this new widow needed. They shared their stories and their real challenges. Every one of us in the room understood.