A Widow's Words, The Later Years: Grief, Remembrance, Prose, Poetry, and Peace - Paperback

by Katherine Billings Palmer (Author)

From the author of A Widow's Words, The First Year and Year Two comes the third and final book in a series about coping with widowhood. A Widow's Words, The Later Years explores one woman's quest for meaning, purpose, and peace after losing her life partner.

Becoming a widow brings many challenges, even years after the death of a spouse. These include facing unexpected grief triggers, handling emergencies on her own, dealing with loneliness, exploring the dating world, adapting retirement plans, and reconciling how to spend the once-anticipated golden years alone. But perhaps the biggest difficulty for a widow is attempting to discover a new direction, purpose, and meaning for her life.

A Widow's Words, The Later Years is a compilation of essays and poetry about working through grief and loss, overcoming obstacles, creating new goals, and pursuing a new plan for a future alone. With time, effort, and the help of her grief therapist, the author discovers that heartache and despair can eventually be transformed into joy, hope, and a new vision for the future, and she finally achieves peace, contentment, and fulfillment living life on her own.

From A Widow's Words, The Later Years:

ACCEPTANCE

This life alone
Is not
Filled with the pleasant sounds
of a man's sweet baritone voice
singing a tune while he
performs his chores

This life alone
Is not
Made up of perfect evenings
enjoying chicken cooked on the grill
while chatting about our day

This life alone
Is not
Cuddling in bed on a rainy afternoon
or being engulfed in his brawny arms
on a wintry night

This life alone
Is nothing
like the one we once shared

But time has
muted the glaring quiet
softened the sharp edges
warmed my shivering soul

Now this life alone
Is
Quiet and enjoyable
Fulfilling and adventurous
Novel and unpredictable
Secure and independent

This life alone
Fits me now
like a comfortable robe
new and never worn
discovered in the back of my closet