A Fresh Start

Thank you for your patience with me as I've been doing physical therapy for my back. One rule the therapist had for me was this: I could only be horizontal or vertical. No sitting! And I found it's extremely difficult to type or text while laying down flat or standing up straight so I've had to take weeks off at a time over the past few months. Hopefully I've done my therapy well and have learned how to avoid problems in the future. It's like a new start for me. And since it's still January, let's consider it the start of a new year and put the WCP (Widows Christian Place) to use for you!

What do widows really need? The general public might perceive widows as a united group with the same interests and needs. But as I've gotten to know my readers, here's what I've found:

• The widows who read this blog range in age from 20's to 70's.
• They've been been married from a few weeks to over 50 years.
• Their lives changed forever in an instant when their husbands unexpectely died in an accident, medical emergency, suicide, murder or war.
• Or their lives changed over a period time: from a few days to several years as their husbands health deteriorated.
• When their husband died they lost many financial assets and benefits, or they've been adequately provided for if they're careful with their finances.
• When they find this blog they're newly widowed, or they've been widowed for years.
• When they find this blog they're in shock and the raw pain of early grief; they might be experiencing a range of emotions and grace; they might be desperate or depressed, or they've pretty much come to terms with their situation and are looking to guage how they're doing, or looking for ways to help other widows.

How's that for a mix?

A couple things I believe widows on this blog do have in common:

• They're hanging on to hope and have a determined sort of faith, even if it's as small as a mustard seed.
• They're willing to work through their grief and find out what God is doing with their life.

Here's how WCP can help:

• I realize that with such a range of backgrounds, personalities and circumstances there will be some days that this blog will perfectly fit your situation. On other days you might find it extremely annoying. Please accept that as the nature of grief. The people around you might affect you the same way, but we all love you and want the very best for you. Please be patient with us, and with this journey, and you will get through this. Life can be good again. Not the same, but good through God's grace and mercy.  
• If you come to visit this blog and don't like what you see for the day, just slide your mouse over to the side bar archives. Select the day of the week that might provide a topic you're interested in, click and scroll through those to see if anything catches your eye. You can always comment on the archived posts, too, it's not too late.
• Tell your story. It's therapeutic when you express yourself and know that you're being heard. This is a place where others WANT to hear about YOU! This is a place where we learn from each other. You can share your story through a comment or email it to me and perhaps I'll even post it on a Wednesday as a feature story. Ask me for writer guidelines if you'd like to do that. 
• Email prayer needs to me. I'll ask my Lifeboat groups to pray for you.
• Ask questions in the comment boxes or with a Lifeboat group. "Is this normal? Am I going crazy? Did this happen to anyone else? Does anyone else feel like this? Where's God?" are perfectly acceptable. Don't be afraid to ask.
• Meet new friends. Visit the blogs on the listings you'll find here or join a Lifeboat group. or attend any of the widows conferences by various organizations that I'll be featuring throughout 2015.

So tell your pastor and others about WCP, and use it freely throughout your grief journey. You won't belong to this blog forever--God has a bright future and plan for you! It's my privilege to walk you through this for a bit and to help you head into God's direction.

♥ ferree