Widow Lessons

Life is full of fast moments.

Life is full of slow moments.

And sometimes fast and slow are all wrapped up in the same package.

Life is full of good things.

Life is full of hard things.

And sometimes they're all wrapped up together.

When I was younger, I could not wait to get married. I was older than I had hoped I'd be when I got married, but Harv was worth the wait... The road I traveled to get to marriage had a few bumps in it...but that road prepared me to be Harv's wife.

I had no clue how to be a wife, but I learned as I went. I know that I definitely made mistakes...but I also know that I did some things right. And I believe Harv and I were a good match.

I also had no clue how to be a mother. I struggled for a while trying to be a good step-mother. I have goofed sometimes, but I also think I did some things right... and I think being a step-mother first gave me a little bit of prep in becoming a biological mother.

Discovering I was pregnant was a thrill. Discovering I was carrying twins was a shock. I read books to prepare for motherhood and being a mother of twins. But reading doesn't fully prepare a person for any task. Hands-on experience is where a person really discovers what a job is all about. I have failed a few times, but sometimes I've done things just like they should be done...and I think God knew what he was doing when he selected Sarah and Hannah for me. 

When family life was "young," I had no idea (or preparation) for all that was to come. I took each new FIRST as it came. Sometimes it was easier than others. I learned as I went for much of it. I dreamed of being good at everything, but soon learned that I just plain wasn't. I learned, over time, how to trust my children to be themselves and to know what they did and didn't want to do or be. I failed sometimes. But not always.

When I got married, I said the vows "for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health..." But in my mind, it was always gonna be better, richer and healthy...

Until it wasn't.

When Harv got sick, I had to learn how to be an on-site caregiver. I had to figure out how to do that while also being the best wife and mother that I could be....and while encouraging all of our children to do and be the best that they could as well. I wanted all of our lives to be as normal as possible...in a situation that was not actually our normal.  

That period was also a learn-as-you-go moment in time.  Sometimes I failed. Sometimes I did things pretty well. And over time, I believe that time "prepared" me for releasing Harv and giving him the freedom to die...

Since that time, I've tried to learn how to be a widow. And there are more lessons in this textbook than I actually want to learn. Life is easier when you have a partner. Marriage can certainly be hard sometimes, but there is a definite benefit to having a significant other to confide in, to vent to, to cry with, to eat dinner with, to make decisions with, to sit in the same room and just BE together.

Currently, I feel like I'm in the midst of a few giant things - personally, professionally and spiritually... perhaps not actually that big in the scheme of things, but all coming at the same time. How I long for a good conversation with Harv so he can give me his ideas and suggestions...and I can either reject or accept his wisdom.

This is the time when what I really want to do (again) is kick and yell "I WANNA DO WHAT I WANNA DO!" -- which is to NOT have to deal with hard things.

Every single one of my current "issues" boils down to a first world problem... So, it seems silly of me to complain about it. But it's also currently my life...which affects me every day.

I would have definitely written the story of my life differently... but I also might've made some mistakes if I were the author. And the truth is that, in the midst of the hard, there has been plenty of wonderful... There is STILL lots of wonderful.... 

...and there's a piece of wonderful that's missing.

Thankful for all the good. Thankful for the hard. 

Praying for peace and wisdom and hope and joy.