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.

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.

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.

At age 28, Shannon’s husband, Jay, was tragically killed in a car accident. In that very moment, her whole world changed. Shannon was left alone to parent her four year old son, two year old daughter, and she was six months pregnant with her third child.