Widowed. Parenting. Surviving. 

As the founder of Grief Connect®, I am posting this one day late, and I want to acknowledge that because International Widows’ Day is an extremely important day to me. But also my new normal has meant that the busyness of life is present, but that also for me, it’s just another day as a widow. Widowhood doesn’t switch off when it’s not a “calendar recognised day”. 

I was widowed at 38 with two young children aged two and six, and I’m writing this blog to shout out loud that the widow community has for far too long been a silent one and deserves to be acknowledged. Silent because widowed people don’t have the energy to shout out that they exist and have specific support needs. Silent because every hour of every day in the early years of grief takes every drop of energy you have, just to get through and look like you’re “functioning”. And this is why Grief Connect® exists – filling the massive gap in services that has existed.