COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
The Modern Widows Club Coeur d’Alene community was founded by Jennifer F. in 2019 and welcomed Community Advocate Dawn K. in 2020.
Jennifer lost her husband Tim in 2010, and was left to navigate widowhood as a young mother. “I wish I had found something like Modern Widows Club sooner,” says Jennifer. “It would have changed my grief process immensely. I am so grateful to be able to facilitate our local community for other ladies to find so they don’t feel alone in this journey.”
After 37 years of marriage, Dawn lost her husband Dave in 2012. It brings Dawn joy to facilitate a safe space for woman to come together, grow, and learn while walking through the stages of grief.
Outside of monthly in-person meetings, the Coeur d’Alene community meets for Saturday coffee dates as often as possible. Many of the group members have forged connections and continue to meet outside of scheduled meetings, dinners, and events.
“There is something so profound about walking into a room full of woman who just ‘get’ the hell you’ve walked through, without words,” shares Jennifer. “Our community members have found true friends with each other.”
Jennifer and Dawn together bridge a gap for widows of all ages and stages of life. It is their joy to watch these woman grow together and become friends.
#WEE2023VIRTUAL
Introducing Our WEE 2023 Virtual Speakers
What happens when you bring widows together with inspiring expert speakers for one powerful day, accessible from anywhere in the world? Widows feel uplifted, encouraged, and acknowledged as the formidable, courageous women they are.
Throughout February and into early March on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter, we’ll be introducing all of our WEE 2023 Virtual speakers, beginning with Jen Mathews.
Jen is passionate about sharing life-affirming perspectives on grief and loss to help guide us in choosing inner peace and joy, shifting our energy, and accepting “what is” while envisioning what’s possible.
At WEE 2023 Virtual you’ll learn from widow mentors, leaders, and advocates like Jen. You’ll find a supportive community and gain new tools and resources.
For more information about WEE 2023 Virtual, or to register, just click below.
Your registration fee is a tax-deductible charitable contribution.
WELLNESS WINDOW
To Snack or Not to Snack?
By Tara Gidus Collingwood, MS, RDN, CSSD, ACSM-CPT
Do you ever wonder if snacking is a good thing or a bad thing? It depends! I consider snacks prevention: They prevent you from becoming ravenously hungry by providing a bridge between meals. When we are hungry we tend to make bad choices — choose the wrong foods, eat too quickly, or end up eating too much.
When many people hear the word “snack,” they think chips or chocolate. But snacks can be nutritious, filling, and delicious! I encourage you to think about what you need in the moment. Are you truly physiologically hungry? If so, eat “real food” snacks. If you are just feeling like you want to munch, then eat something that satisfies the craving, but watch the portion. Snacks should typically be 100-250 calories depending on how long you want it to last and your overall energy expenditure for the day.
Snacks can also take the place of a meal when we might be overwhelmed with emotion or don’t feel up to cooking. When we’re going through the grieving process our appetite can be all over the place. Maybe you lost your appetite and can’t face eating breakfast or cooking dinner. Instead of sitting down to a lot of food all at one time, you can snack your way through the morning or have a few snacks spread out in the evening.
How many snacks do you need in a day? Again, it depends! In general, you can follow these guidelines:
If you aren’t eating breakfast within an hour of getting up, have a snack. I always snack on a piece of fruit or a few handfuls of dry cereal right when I get up, before I exercise.
If you go more than 3-4 hours between meals, have a snack in between to bridge your hunger.
If you are up for more than 3 hours after dinner, have a snack before bed.
Here are some of my favorite snacks to fill and satisfy between meals.
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.
#WIDOWSMATTER
Your Help Will Make a Difference!
If you’re a widowed woman, will you please take 15 minutes to complete our widowhood survey, developed in collaboration with Washington University in St. Louis?
There are millions of unseen, unsupported, and unmeasured widows around the world, and your survey responses will help both organizations better understand their history and needs.
As a thank you, the first 1,000 survey respondents are eligible to receive a check for $25.
You can also choose to donate your $25 to Modern Widows Club, which will help us continue supporting every widow who comes to us.
You’ll need to provide your Social Security Number (SSN) to receive a check, as required by the IRS. Your SSN will not be retained for research purposes.
If you’d like to donate your honorarium to Modern Widows Club, your Social Security Number is not needed.
Please note: Checks can only be issued in U.S. dollars and mailed to U.S. addresses. Limit one check per address.
Thank you for your help — it truly will make a difference.
#BLACKHISTORYMONTH
February is Black History Month in the United States and Canada, a month for spotlighting Black achievements in civil rights, politics, technology, science, law, the arts and entertainment, sports, and many other fields.
It's a time to give visibility to the people and organizations that work to create change.
It's a time to celebrate that Black history is American history.
The origins of Black History Month can be traced to 1915, when Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the son of formerly enslaved people, founded the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH).
In 1926, the ASALH launched Negro History Week, an annual observance. The second week of February was selected in honor of the birth dates of two abolitionists, Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.
By the 1960s, the week of celebration had transformed into a full month. In 1976, President Gerald R. Ford officially recognized Black History Month, calling upon the public to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”
Click below to learn more about Black history and join in special discussions, films, seminars, and other online events all month long.
A WIDOW’S PATH
Grief is Love
By Janice Talbert
As the date of Mark’s second angelversary grew closer, I became increasingly anxious and unsettled. I didn’t express it aloud, but I knew I did not want to recognize another year had completed. On the day before the two-year mark, my unease had grown so that I felt pressure from my chest to the top of my head, as if in a vice with screws tightening. I don’t have high blood pressure or high cholesterol; I knew it was grief, and the anxiety of acknowledging it.
This was not what I expected. I had a plan for the day. I was going to spend time with friends, have dinner, and share memories of Mark. It seemed a good strategy to sustain me through a rough trigger day. But my body was screaming at me, and wouldn’t let me deceive myself. So, I relented and listened to my inner being. I called my friends and told them I decided to stay home. I was going to sit with the pain and grief I had tried so hard to ignore. To honor Mark and the life we shared. To honor my grief.
As I woke the next morning, I felt a clear lightness of being. There was no visceral pressure in my body, no associated dread for the day. I was surprised, given how I’d felt the night before, and immediately noted this within myself. And just as quickly, my mind began to drift, but I pulled it back and embraced the lightness. I rose for the day, determined to sit with love and gratitude. To honor Mark and the life we shared. To honor my grief.
The lightness of that day has remained with me, and so has the lesson. Grief is love and will not be ignored.
Janice lost her husband and soulmate, Mark, in January 2021. Two months later, she found Modern Widows Club.
MWC ART CLUB
Create the Story of You
We have an amazing Art Club for widows that meets the first Saturday of each month at 12pm ET. Our next meeting is March 4.
The club is facilitated by Dr. Linda Shanti McCabe, who specializes in working with women learning to travel with grief. She’ll guide you in creating SoulCollage cards, a unique deck of colorful, collaged cards with deep personal meaning. Your SoulCollage deck is the story of you!
Our Art Club is free to join and attend. Your only cost will be your art supplies. Click below to sign up.