From My Inbox to Yours.... Widows Connect

Dear Reader,

I'm excited to share with you a note from a newer widow who recently found Widows Christian Place and my feature about Gayle Roper's book, "A Widow's Journey."
I was so pleased that she wrote to me and is also allowing me to share it with you. That's the intent of this blog--a place where widows can know they are not alone. It's not about me--I'm just here to serve you like an oasis in the wilderness. Your comments and interactions are the most important thing.

So let me step aside right now and we can all see what Karen wrote to me the other day:

I wanted to give my comments about Gayle’s book – “A Widow’s Journey”.  I bought my copy thru Amazon, a while back, and this is the best book I have read on widowhood thus far.

 

I lost my beloved husband Michael, suddenly and unexpectedly on July 18, 2016.  I am totally devastated, like all of you have felt, being plunged into this terrible and sorrowful, unwanted journey.  My husband and I were together 34 years, and would have been married 30 years on New Year’s Day 2017... 

I savored every page of Gayle’s book.  It was like she was writing this for me.  It was a book I wished I could go on reading forever, day after lonely day. I now walk where she walked, as she was missing and grieving for her beloved husband.  Every emotion and grief stricken experience she wrote about – I felt in my own heart.                                    

And when I came sadly to the end of that marvelous book, I saw that photo of Gayle and her beloved Chuck.  That picture conveyed the essence of her book, and what she lost when she lost him.  I could see the tremendous love they had for each other. You could see that Chuck must have said something outrageously funny to Gayle, and she was just about doubled over in laughter – with that humor reaching her in the way only Chuck could have said to her.  How well I could relate to that picture of them, in my own relationship with my husband!  He'd have me laughing so hard, I'd have tears rolling down my face, and he'd be so pleased with himself that he made me laugh. That silly, crooked smile of his, and that mischievous twinkle in his eyes.  My laughter would make him start laughing till we were gasping for breath and in tears.  Just the way Chuck looked because Gayle was laughing so hard.  Only your soul mate could touch you like that. 

Gayle was so exquisitely happy in that photo – you could just feel her joy in being in her husband’s arms.   I found myself grieving for Gayle, because I knew what she had lost.  Exactly what I had lost, each of us, in our own separate way – with our own so very much loved husbands. 

Gayle – I loved your book, and your message to us widows individually, at the end.  I hope that maybe some glorious day – we can all meet up in Heaven with our own husbands, and share a laugh or a thousand!  Chuck and Mike will probably be thinking up new and delightful ways to make us laugh again, after all these tears.  No more tears in Heaven, and no more ever being without our beloved husbands again...

Love in Jesus,

Karen  

 

I hope Karen's note touched your heart like it touched mine. Would you like to see the picture of Gayle and Chuck that she mentioned? I can't post it here without permission, but you may go to Amazon and LOOK INSIDE A Widow's Journey. Look at the last pages of the book and you can't miss it. While you're there you might like to look at Gayle's other books too. She's an award-winning author, and her books are perfect companions to fill a widow's times when the house is just too quiet or she's eating alone in a restaurant, travelling, etc.

Ferree and Gayle at
Montrose Christian Writers
Conference, July 2016

 

And why wait 'til Heaven to meet Gayle? She hosts a wonderful widows retreat every spring. I'll give you the information about that tomorrow. It would be great fun and the beginning of great friendships if a group of us here a the WCP could attend together!

Until tomorrow,

♥ ferree

Click here for A Widow's Journey. Click on the LOOK INSIDE and the arrows to get to the last pages of the book.

 

 

 

What's In Your Future?

Last year in early April my friend Linda, who blogs Sparrow Scrolls, posted the following and I hope you'll click on over to the link. If you do, I know you'll be uplifted by what happened to her when she followed the gentle nudge of the Holy Spirit. Linda does with a camera what Shirley is doing with her "good things vase" that I featured yesterday.

Finally.......!

Does your life feel like this?

     A couple of weeks ago, at the end of one of those "sad" days as the sun was fading I felt a gentle "nudge" that seemed to say - "Take your camera and go outside - and look". Well, of course there was a bit of argument with that feeling - it was still bitterly cold here in the Midwest and winter coats were still required - in addition to the fact there were some pretty hefty winds blowing. However, I listened to the prompting and took my camera and went looking. I didn't really feel like it - it had been a difficult day - in fact it had been a difficult couple of weeks. I was tired. I was lonely. I was wondering. You know "those" feelings........ (click here to read more)

Please visit with me again tomorrow and the rest of this week as I share with you what the Lord is doing in the lives of widows like you. I'm still keeping my writing time down to a minimum to relieve some strain on my back, but you know what? I praise the Lord for this because He has brought me other writing widows who are just as willing to share their walks with you! We learn from each other, and only a widow truly understands another widow. I'd love to hear from you too, so don't hesitate to leave a comment or email me at WCplace@gmail.com

Remember, I offer three venues of service to widows simply because I'm so grateful I can:

1) This blog www.WidowsChristianPlace.com Be sure to tell your pastor, counsellor or groups about it. I'll mail you some business cards if you email me your address.

2) Confidential Lifeboat support groups on Facebook. Click the word Lifeboat for more info on how to join. They're free, you just need to be on Facebook.

3) My book, Postcards from the Widows' Path. Did you ever look at the Bible book of Ruth from a widow's perspective? Wow! It is rich with insight and direction just for widows! God deeply loves widows and you'll be amazed at the epic stories He wants to write into each of our lives. Click my bookstore to order your's today. If your group wants to use it I'll send you a free discussion guide too.   

♥ ferree

Choices: Remembering or Forgetting

Dear Reader,

When I walked through the door on my first visit to a grief support group the air was so heavy I had to catch my breath. Memories weighted the atmosphere and almost crushed me. But I went back each week and we slogged through the heaviness, leaned into those memories, rode out the waves of grief. And then, finally, the air lightened. Faces brightened. We began to remember more than the pain. We remembered the life, the goodness, the love. Choosing to remember is one way to deal with the pain.

Sunset in Hawaii by Sherry Luttrell

But some individuals and cultures deal with grief by choosing to forget. Its like they shut the door to that period of life: take the pictures off the walls, get rid of all the person's belongings, start dating right away. . .

I read the story of a man who escaped the genocide in Rwanda and Burundi, Africa in the 1990's. His culture chose to forget. They called it gusimbura: you don't talk about the dead, you don't name them. You're reminding people and it's not acceptable.

Which do you choose? Are you a "rememberer," or a "forgetter" when it comes to grieving? I'm not asking if one is right and the other is wrong. I'm just asking which one you're inclined towards. Or are there days you wish for a fast forward button on your life? Click the word "Comment" below and send in your thoughts.

Here's something else: The first of every month I post the particular month's Memorial Wall. If you'd like to add your tribute, please take a look at how it's done and email me your information at WCplace@gmail.com I'll be glad to serve you by adding it to our wall.

Here's what to state:

Date of passing

Your name

Your spouse's name and (if you want to) cause of death

If you have children, their names and how old they were when their dad (or mom) passed.

Optional: Add a sentence or two you'd like to say.

Optional: general location--state or country

Each month I use this listing as a prayer guide and I'm thankful to know that others also use it to pray for you. Thanks for visiting the WCP today, and check back next Monday for the September Memorial Wall.

♥ ferree
 

 

Getting the Most Out of This Blog

The foggy feelings and hard-to-concentrate moments of grief are reasons I am committed to keeping this blog advertisement free, uncluttered, and as simple as possible. I'm also committed to "being here" for you as a faithful, consistent resource. Lord knows you don't need another support kicked out from under you!

Even when I don't have Internet access, and am unable to update regularly, you can still visit this blog and find all sorts of useful resources and information.

Yes, you guessed it---I don't have computer or Internet access this week. But let me give you a tour of all the other things you can fiddle with to find the help and information you need.

HEADER FEATURES
Tabs---At the top of this page are tabs which open up single pages of commonly asked for information. Take a tour of the Memorial Wall, Christian Websites for Widows, my Bookstore, Need Prayer? and all the other underlined words.

SIDEBAR FEATURES
Now let me turn your attention to the right side column of this blog. It starts out with my book, Postcards from the Widows' Path, and if you'd like to order it or read more about it, all you have to do is click on the book cover. (You can also order the book with the TAB for my bookstore, but this way you have options for how to get to it). Keep scrolling down the column to read general information about the themes and their day-of-the-week set up.

Two ways to subscribe to this blog 
Follow by email. Do you like convenience? You can receive each new post from this blog in your email rather than searching for it on your favorites on the Internet every day! Just put your email address in the box and click the submit button. You can unsubscribe at any time, and I never share your address or use it for anything else but this blog.

Join this site. This is another convenient way to receive each update from this blog. When you join this blog and other blogs, Google gathers them all together into one handy dandy reader you can glance at to see what all your bloggers are up to. Click Join this site and it will walk you through the set-up.

Are you interested in starting your own blog?
Faithful Bloggers. Click this if you're a blogger, or would like to be. It takes you to the Faithful Blogger website full of tips for bloggers.

Three ways to search for articles on this blog.
Labels. These are great little tags! Find a topic you're interested in. Click on it, and all the articles in this blog under that label with be at your fingertips!

Search this blog. For topics you don't see in the Labels, just type in a keyword and see if WidowsChristianPlace has anything on it.

Archives. Another way to search for articles. These will give you articles on this blog from 2010-2012. Click a day of the week to see what happens. Go ahead and try--It won't break. :)

Saving the best for last!
Christian Widow Websites & Blogs Visit and get to know wonderful Christian widow bloggers and authors, but be sure to come back to visit me next week! I'll look forward to being with you again next Monday or Tuesday.  
♥ ferree