Have you ever known a widow—a woman whose husband has been suddenly removed from her life? Most of us know someone who has traveled down that road. After the initial shock of their loss and they return from the memorial service to an empty house, they struggle to navigate the rest of their tenure on earth . Some do that well, others not so much.
I’ve known three such women. One was my mother who was widowed early, left to rear the last two of her three children. She had business training so she went back to work in an office. She had men interested in her, but she didn’t return their advances. She lived out her years alone, still in love with my father.
Another widow was a co-worker. Her husband died suddenly from the onset of a serious condition. Her children were grown and she’d worked all her life. Through the influence of two mutual friends, she met a man five years later and they tied the knot, spending nearly another three decades of marriage together, a combined total of more than fifty years between the two marriages. Quite a feat!
A third widow was a fellow critique partner. Her children were small and she spent the child-rearing years leading her four youngsters to adulthood. She and her first husband had been friends with another family while he lived, and when the wife of the other couple died of cancer, the mutual bond of shared loss brought the widow and widower together. They are enjoying their retirement years together.
In my upcoming release, Love’s Autumn Harvest, which is now available for pre-order on Kindle with the print version coming in July, readers will encounter another widow. Eily McKintrick is a woman who has pressed on after the early death of her husband, Kenny. She has chosen to live her life to the fullest and keeps busy with her grown children, her church, and her community service. Never has the idea of finding another man entered her thinking. But when she crosses a fence to borrow an onion from her widowed neighbor, consequences begin to find her. What will become of her tidy little life?
Check out this new story. Releases August 1. I can’t wait to hear what you think.
Until next time.