Starting Over Doesn't Mean Starting From Scratch
Starting Over After Losing Your Spouse
Starting over.
Those words are sobering to anyone who has lost a spouse. It’s something that is pushed on you whether you want it or not. It’s not something you look forward to. It’s an added weight on top of the heavy grief you’re already experiencing.
There were so many ways I had to “start over” after Jon passed.
I became the sole provider.
I was now a single parent.
I had to run a household alone.
I had to keep up with the finances and bills.
I had to make all the decisions by myself.
I didn’t ask for all that responsibility, and I didn’t want it. I just wanted my husband back. It’s an unseen part of becoming a widow that no one realizes, and it compounds the grief you are already experiencing.
I was literally starting over with my life. And it was hard and felt so unfair.
I didn't understand why this was part of God's plan.
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The People God Sends to Help Carry You
Accepting Help After the Loss of a Spouse
After Jon passed, I was so overwhelmed at the thought of doing life without him.
He was my person, my best friend, and we worked well together as a team. When he died, that was all gone.
I was suddenly alone.
All at once, decisions were solely mine that had once been shared. Responsibilities for things Jon used to handle were now mine. In the midst of fresh, intense grief and becoming a single parent, I now had responsibilities for things I had never imagined I would have to handle alone.
I had to get the oil changed in the cars.
Make sure the tires were safe for winter.
Mow the lawn.
Make sure the heating oil was filled.
Find someone to replace the shingles that blew off the roof.
Remember to change the smoke detector batteries.
Fill the water softener with salt.
Pay the bills.
The list went on and on.
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