MONTHLY TOPIC
Empowering Feminine Value
Our April 2023 topic is found under our Financial Health Pillar of Healthy Widowhood. Modern Widows Club Founder Carolyn Moor gives a preview of this month’s video:
This month we are talking all about the value of empowering your feminine energy. Everything you have been through has been shaping you for an incredible purpose that will fulfill you in surprising ways, awakening the value we each bring individually and collectively as a community of humans while also helping humanity heal.
Let’s consider this month how we are writing our own compelling feminine value story. Valuing yourself is a choice. Do you value yourself to create pivots to set yourself on a new trajectory? I can tell you when your financial, legal, and insurance world is more ordered, so is your peace of mind. We see this in our research.
I want to point out something obvious: You are in a beautiful women’s circle here at Modern Widows Club. It’s made of love, resources, gifts, talents, and dreamers. We activate our own feminine value when we uplift ourselves and, also, when we lift others up to their own fullest potential.
Learn to look at the bird’s eye view of where you are during this time on the planet, and inquire about your role in this great rebirth season.
It’s time you experienced the potent power of what happens when Wisters (widow + sisters) take off their masks and get real and support one another.
Click below to watch Carolyn’s video about our monthly topic.
MWC SPECIAL EVENTS
Free Financial Health Series for Widows
In widowhood, you may be faced with new financial responsibilities and challenges that can affect your emotional and physical well-being as well as your future stability.
Financial knowledge is crucial in widowhood. It can provide empowerment and control in your life during a time of monumental change. It can alleviate anxiety and help you make informed decisions about your future so you can focus on healing and rebuilding your life.
Beginning April 6, you’re invited to join us LIVE on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for our Financial Health Series for widows. MWC Founder Carolyn Moor will host conversations with three trusted Certified Financial Planners:
Thursday, April 6, 7pm ET: Daniel M. Kopp, Wise Stewardship Financial Planning, “Understanding and Diffusing Financial Anxiety”
Monday, April 10, 1pm ET: Robin Young, Northstar Financial Planning, Inc., “Financial Transitions: What to Do Now, Soon, and Later”
Tuesday, April 25, 7pm ET: Megan Kopka, Kopka Financial, LLC, “Empowering Feminine Energy, Aligning Your Money and Your Values”
These discussions will be an invaluable opportunity to learn more about financial health in widowhood.
There’s no need to register to watch. Just mark your calendar and join us live on Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube for these important conversations.
MWC PARENTING CLUB
Parenting as a widow can be daunting. You are navigating a new way of life, raising grieving children, and doing it all as a solo parent. It can feel lonely, but you are not alone. Your Parenting Club Wisters are here to walk alongside you. No one “gets it” like another widowed parent.
Our Parenting Club is for parents of children of all ages. It’s an important place to learn from one another and grow together into capable, confident parents for every stage of your children’s lives. The collective wisdom and mutual support of strong widows make this club truly extraordinary.
Because we know that parenting in widowhood places many unpredictable demands on your time, our Parenting Club does not meet regularly on Zoom. Instead, you’ll join our private online Facebook community where our “conversations” take place.
Our online community is a safe space for asking questions, sharing ideas, leaning on each other through tough phases, and celebrating successes both large and small.
To learn more about our Parenting Club, or to sign up, click below.
#WEE2023VIRTUAL
Meet Our WEE 2023 Virtual Speakers
Continuing into April on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, join Modern Widows Club LIVE for discussions with our WEE 2023 Virtual speakers!
These conversations are a wonderful opportunity to learn more about our speakers, the powerful work they do, and the topics they’ll be discussing at WEE 2023 Virtual.
Friday, April 7, 11am ET: Jen Mathews, Facilitator, TEDx Speaker, and Spiritual Cheerleader, shares about her topic “Joy and Laughter Even After”
Friday, April 14, 12pm: Petra Gordon, Widow Support Coach, shares about her topic “Unlock Your Widow Potential”
Wednesday, April 19, 12pm ET: Juliette Brisman, Author and Licensed Mental Health Professional, shares about her topic “Resilience and Reinvention”
You don’t need to register to watch! Just join us live for these great discussions.
To learn more about WEE 2023 Virtual, or to register, click below.
WELLNESS WINDOW
Plant-Based: What Is It, and Should You Do It?
By Tara Gidus Collingwood, MS, RDN, CSSD, ACSM-CPT
Plant-based eating has been the buzz of the nutrition world for the past few years. Does eating a plant-based diet mean you have to swear off meat forever or become a vegetarian? Absolutely not — unless you want to!
Plant-based (or plant-forward) eating simply means that the majority of the food you eat comes from plants — fruits, veggies, grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, etc. How much animal protein you include is your decision. You could become a vegan who doesn’t include any animal derivatives at all, or you could include dairy, eggs, seafood, and even meat on a daily basis and still be considered plant-based. There is no need to label yourself as anything.
We know that plants are at the core of a healthy diet. They offer antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and fiber that keep our bodies operating in top shape. Thousands of research studies have proven that plants are nutritious and good. The Mediterranean diet, rated the healthiest diet in many surveys, has a foundation of plants but also includes some fish, eggs, yogurt/cheese, and poultry.
Many widows I talk to tell me that they eat a lot less meat after becoming widowed. For some this may be because they’re preparing meals for one and don’t want to deal with cooking meat; for others, they just may not have an appetite for it anymore. As long as you are getting another source of protein, it is absolutely fine to reduce meat and other animal proteins in your diet.
If you find yourself already reducing animal protein, or you have a desire to become more plant-based, here are some tips to get started.
Click below to continue reading Tara’s article.
Tara Gidus Collingwood is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Certified Personal Trainer, and fellow Wister. You can find her at dietdiva.net.
MWC ART CLUB
Growth Through Art
Join our Art Club for widows to connect with our club facilitator, Dr. Linda Shanti McCabe, along with other Wisters interested in using art as a medium towards growth.
Our Art Club meets on Zoom the first Saturday of each month at 12pm ET. The next meeting is April 1, and Seasons of Grief is this month’s theme for your SoulCollage cards.
The club is free to join and attend. Your only cost will be your art supplies. Click below to sign up!
A WIDOW’S PATH
The Start
By Janice Talbert
As a new widow, I had no trouble speaking my thoughts and conveying emotions, but I couldn’t write them down, not even to journal. I had an irrational fear that if I started writing, everything would explode out at once and overtake me. Giving myself the gift of time in whatever area I need has proven to be a wise choice in my widow’s path.
The first poem of what has become a series came 10 months after losing Mark. Waiting until I was ready allowed me to meet inspiration and imagery with an open heart.
Path of the Abyss erupted from my core in 2021. It portrays early grief and ends with hope.
The Start poured out a year later, and mixes hope with courage.
The Start
A distant brightness catches my eye.
A songbird calls from a far-off hill.
What is this disruption that tugs me?
I don’t want to leave the edge.
I’m comfortable.
My path varies and is trod smooth.
The darkness is close to engulf my view.
Must I leave?
Such a curious light I cannot resolve.
And the song, so sweet.
Such an odd sensation.
May I bring the darkness with me?
Could I carry some in my pocket?
The lovely melody beckons.
And the light, a low kaleidoscope.
But there is no map, no walkway.
How do I find this wonder?
Must I forge a new path?
How to start?
At the farthest well-worn edge?
Or step off the trail where I stand?
Deep Breath.
One step. Break new ground.
One step. Clear the mud.
One step. Avoid the rocks.
One step.
And I’m off.
Janice lost her husband and soulmate, Mark, in January 2021. Two months later, she found Modern Widows Club.
MWC BOOK CLUB
Join Us for Our April Book Club
Love to read and chat about books? Join our Book Club for a great discussion on Zoom the third Monday of each month.
Our next meeting is April 17 at 8pm ET, when we’ll be discussing What Matters Most: The Get Your Sh*t Together Guide to Wills, Money, Insurance, and Life’s ‘What Ifs’ by Chanel Reynolds.
“Jot down a few important personal details and passwords. Assign or update your beneficiaries. Update (or finally get) the right insurance policies. Finish your will, living will, and power-of-attorney documents. Plan for at least six months of expenses in a savings fund. Save for a long and lovely retirement or an emergency tomorrow. Prioritize the urgent items from the not-so-important.”
– Chanel Reynolds
We hope you’ll pick up a copy of this book and then join us for a thoughtful discussion about these important topics. Click the button below to sign up.