Love After Loss
On the night of January 14, 2019 I lost my best friend and husband of 49 years and 4 months.
Over the years, I have lost my parents, my in-laws and a brother, but the loss of a loving, life-long partner is particularly hard!
Cal and I were high school sweethearts who got married, when we were young. It was easy to look forward to growing old together, but we had no idea what that would mean. As we aged, Cal’s health deteriorated and he was the first to die. My latest book, Your Treasured Marriage, tells our story and more.
Three years later, realizing that I didn’t want to be alone as I aged, I ventured out into the dating world and met a widower named Kirk. His story and my dating adventures are also in the book.
As Kirk and I got to know each other, I was amazed at how much we had in common and how we enjoyed each other’s company.
When he was hospitalized for an upcoming surgery, we looked forward to his improved health and further developing our new relationship.
But, by the afternoon of January 14, 2022 it was not to be. Kirk never left the hospital and I had lost my wonderful boyfriend of just 8 months and 16 days…
To have had two great men in my life was a blessing. Though the losses have been difficult, the loving relationships were worth it.
I have been able to tell about my love story with Cal, as I now grieve the loss of Kirk.
Each person’s grief experience is different. For me, widowhood after almost 50 years of marriage wasn’t the same type of loss as when I lost Kirk and a relationship with so much potential.
Kirk and I were looking forward to more years together. The promise of a future was filled with hope and we had plans to grow our relationship together. It was not to be…
This is why, as I heal from both losses, I have created the Loss Survivor Tribe for women in relationships that were cut off way too soon by early death. These grieving women are girlfriends, fiancées and women married to the loves of their lives for only a few short time.
I’m sorry for each of your individual losses and hope you’ll check out the Loss Survivor Tribe on the menu above or send me an email if you think we can help.
To understand how grief works, please review this Growing Around Grief diagram.
