My journey towards a healthier lifestyle began well before I had kids, but became much more urgent after my husband passed. I have always enjoyed healthy food and exercising, but I didn’t know that products I used every day could be harmful to our health. My desire to have less toxic cleaning ingredients actually began as a desire to simplify what I used and save money. Join me as I share my frugal and budget-friendly tips for making your own cleaning products, starting with something you probably have in your cupboard. It's incredible how one simple ingredient can clean almost your entire house without the worry of harmful side effects. Let's take this journey together towards a safer and healthier home!
Read more...Life can be overwhelming at times, especially around the holidays. There are expectations that we put on ourselves or others put on us, and it can be a lot.
Right after my husband passed away, I had to pull back from many things, as I didn’t have the capacity to handle very much. Life was overwhelming and exhausting, and we were in survival mode.
As time passed and the Lord has brought healing to my heart, I have added activities and events back in. But sometimes, I overestimate what I am able to do and truly enjoy. When I start feeling the stress build, and it begins affecting my heart and health, I know it’s time to step back.
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In Part One, I shared the shock that I went through when my husband passed. In Part Two, I shared how I was helped through the devastating shock. In this post, I want to give you some ways to navigate through the fog and difficulty of suddenly losing your spouse.
Shock can display itself in many ways. If you have lost a loved one unexpectedly and are grappling with the shock, here are some strategies that may help you cope.
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I am very blessed to have a supportive family and close friends who made sure I was taken care of before and after Jon passed. While nothing could take my grief away, having others around was a comfort.
My parents, who had been so supportive while Jon went through his battle with cancer, were right there with me in the hospital, helping me get answers from the doctors, praying with me, and crying with me. They helped me make phone calls to family, as Jon’s death was near. They stuck very close to my kids and I for several weeks. Their guidance was invaluable, as I had many decisions to make over those first few days and weeks, and they helped me wade through all of it. They made sure I got the rest I needed, food that I could tolerate until the nausea passed, and went to the funeral home with me to take care of the details of Jon’s burial and service.
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Losing a spouse is one of the hardest things anyone can experience. When I first lost my husband, my initial response to his death was shock. I experienced a variety of symptoms of shock that you may also be experiencing. This topic will be broken up into three blog posts. This first one is my experience with shock when I lost my husband, the second post is how I was helped by my friends and family, and the third is a few suggestions to help you cope with shock.
My husband passed away in a hospital after a straightforward procedure went wrong. When the doctor informed me what had happened during his surgery, I went into shock. My arms and legs went numb, and I collapsed on the hospital floor. A nurse put smelling salts under my nose, and I quickly revived but began to sob uncontrollably, as I realized the implications of what had happened. A kind nurse called my parents, so they could be there as quickly as possible.
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