DEAR READERS,
You may notice that things look a bit different at Inside Look! Beginning with this issue we’ve moved to Substack, an online publishing platform. We’ve created a new content area we call Widow Life, which is where we’ll be sharing Inside Look and much more.
With this move, you’ll still receive the same great Inside Look content in your in-box every two weeks. But now, in addition to reading our newsletter by email, you can also read it using the Substack app or on the web.
Going forward, you’ll be able to access an archive of past issues of Inside Look for those times you’re trying to find that certain article you wanted to re-read or share with a friend.
When you visit us at Widow Life, you’ll also have access — all in one place! — to other great content: MWC blogs, our Healthy Widow Healthy Woman podcast, and our brand-new blog, Moor Thoughts, written by MWC Founder Carolyn Moor.
After you’re done reading this issue of Inside Look, I invite you to take a few minutes to look around Widow Life and discover all of the useful, meaningful content we have for you.
Thank you for reading.
– Laurie Rich, Editor, Inside Look
MONTHLY TOPIC
Imitate Your Inspirational Role Model
Our November topic is found under our Relational Health Pillar of Healthy Widowhood.
Modern Widows Club Founder Carolyn Moor gives a preview of her video:
There are many qualities that encompass strong relationships. In widowhood, it’s possible to say that all of our relational connections shift and change.
There’s no way to understand all the reasons why someone stays in your life, or chooses to leave, or suddenly shows up anew. But what we can focus on are the components of what makes a relationship better.
Trust, commitment, kindness, intimacy, respect, communication, empathy, equality. These are just a few things that further develop healthy, fulfilling, and yes, greater relationships that enhance our life.
We need these in our life now — especially in widowhood. Every call, email, text, post on social media that bonds these connection points matters.
Click below to watch Carolyn’s video.
MWC LIVE PRESENTATION
Join us LIVE on Facebook and YouTube at 11am ET on Wednesday, November 16 for a conversation with MWC Founder Carolyn Moor and Megan Kopka, Owner of Kopka Financial.
Carolyn and Megan will discuss several alternative ways you can give to charity. Tune in live for some fantastic tips and strategies to maximize your generosity!
There’s no need to register — just join us live on November 16.
GUEST CONTRIBUTOR
Bridge the Gap
By Paula Renninger
My husband died two days after his 49th birthday. A week later it was to be our 26th wedding anniversary. The next week, his best friend turned 50. His wife was hosting a surprise 50th birthday party for him. I had known about this party for months. In another lifetime, I would have been helping my friend plan the party. But not in this new world that I was thrust into.
I got ready to go to the party reluctantly. I was only going out of obligation. He was my husband’s best friend. His wife had become one of my closest friends. Our children had grown up together. This is what friends do — we celebrate milestones with each other.
I arrived. I am walking through the crowd of people and feeling the pitying stares as I walk around. He sees me. His face lights up into a big grin as he walks towards me and grips me in a bear hug. “I am so glad you are here,” he says. I’m not. He shows me where the food and drinks are and is drawn away by another party guest. I sneak out the back door and cry the whole way home. My husband will never see 50. I will never be able to surprise him with a party of friends and family. I hate my life.
Everywhere I turned, people were living life. Laughing, smiling, eating, drinking, celebrating, and existing. I felt like the awkward new kid in school who was trying to fit in. Do you ever feel that way?
Among my married friends, I was single. Among my single friends, I was married. Idle chitchat annoyed me. Women complaining about their man infuriated me. People discussing plans saddened me. I wanted to share how I was torn in two and one half of me was thrown into a ravine and the other half was trying to function through life. But nobody could understand me unless they had experienced the same loss.
Relationships are hard, and very hard when you are in an emotional tailspin. Finding your way as a stranger in a strange land is just one of the many collateral effects of becoming a widow.
Click below to continue reading Paula’s article.
#GIVINGTUESDAY
We believe that every widow deserves to be seen as the subject matter expert she is when she shares about her body’s physical reaction to loss.
We work every day to lead the way in advancing real conversations about the effect of widowhood on a woman’s physical and mental health.
You can help us continue to advocate and educate about women’s health issues in widowhood. Modern Widows Club is one of the charities participating in GivingTuesday, a global day of generosity that will take place on November 29, 2022.
We invite you to help us raise awareness and funds for effective widowhood programs, initiatives, and solutions by saving the date and making a donation online on November 29.
MWC BOOK CLUB
Join Us November 21 at 8pm ET
Love to read and chat about books? Join us for a great discussion on Zoom the third Monday of each month.
We are excited to read Megan Devine's book It's OK That You're Not OK this month.
Modern Widows Club Program Director Lyn Kienholz shares: “My personal favorite quote is ‘Some things cannot be fixed. They can only be carried.’ Even all these years later, I cannot fix some of the grief for myself or my kids, but what we can do is carry it.”
Click below to sign up for our Book Club, or update your subscription preferences to be included.
A SPECIAL GIFT FOR WIDOWS
Send Love and Hope This Holiday Season
If you love and support a widow in your life, this holiday season you can send her our beautiful HOPE Gift Box curated just for her. Your loving gift will celebrate all of the hope that she brings into the world!
Our gift box includes a Modern Widows Club 12-ounce stemless wine tumbler, 13x18-inch lime green nylon sports pack, journal, candle, rose quartz heart stone, inspirational temporary tattoo, butterfly seed packet, writing pen, and encouragement greeting card.
After you check out, let us know where to ship your gift, and you can write a custom message that we’ll include in the box.
Supporting widows is an important job, and even more so during the holidays when she may especially be feeling the loss of her partner. Thank you for showering her with love and letting her know she’s important in your life.
modernwidowsclub.org
844-4-A-WIDOW
insidelook@modernwidowsclub.org