May 3, 2024 by Fred Colby
I certainly don’t know everything! And… more than likely, neither do you. One of the biggest shocks upon entering deep grieving as a widower is the realization of how ill-prepared we are to deal with it… much less survive it! And yet, widowers will often say things like: I
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April 19, 2024 by Fred Colby
Recent headlines about the very brief three-month marriage of Widower Gerry Turner (the first Golden Bachelor) and Theresa Nist coming to an end raise some interesting questions. The pace of the Golden Bachelor program is frenetic. It expects a Bachelor to identify, court, and then marry a new bride
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April 6, 2024 by Fred Colby
Sex is a topic that we widowers often have difficulty discussing with each other, much less with friends, family, or even therapists. And yet, it needs to be addressed. Why? Because so many of us have so much trouble dealing with the topic. It does not matter whether you are
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March 20, 2024 by Fred Colby
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck seem an unlikely pair to be teaching Widowers how to heal and regain purpose and joy in their lives. But in fact, they are a great example for us to follow. As I have mentioned before, when a husband dies his wife will likely be
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February 11, 2024 by Fred Colby
I, and many others who write about the widower experience, often speak of loneliness. Paired with the pain of our grieving, loneliness is perhaps the most threatening challenge we face. Why? Because it often builds upon our grief and spreads its seeds of depression, self-doubts, and regrets. This often leads
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January 27, 2024 by Fred Colby
This and similar enticing messages run constantly on dating sites and social media pages used by widowers. Usually, they get your attention with a picture of an attractive young gal about half your age, usually with some cleavage showing. Unfortunately, these siren song messages go along with our being identified
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January 12, 2024 by Fred Colby
We widowers often hear that soon after the death of our wives we will lose many friends and possibly some family ties. This frequently occurs despite our best efforts to maintain these previously reliable and important relationships. This can result in: Questioning our likability, self-image, and ability to sustain relationships.
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January 8, 2024 by Fred Colby
Often after our wives pass, another crisis will come along that shakes us and causes us to confront our current state of thinking about our life going forward. This may be just what is needed to wake us and point us to a more promising future. While being prepped for
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December 1, 2023 by Brenda Goodman, CNN
(CNN) – At age 99, former President Jimmy Carter has been many things: humanitarian, Sunday school teacher, woodworker, naval lieutenant, father, husband. Now he’s facing a role that’s new to him but familiar to millions of older adults: that of a widower. Carter’s wife of 77 years, Rosalynn, died
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