Our Ask An Angel correspondent is Arlene Petersen, Certified Senior Advisor and Life Care Navigation Specialist in the area of senior home care.
Q. My husband and I recently moved to the area and shortly after, he passed away unexpectedly. Now, I feel lost and alone and just don’t have direction. I want to get involved in life, but I just don’t know how. What can put me back into life?
A. I am so sorry for your loss. It’s not just a loss of your husband, but it’s a loss of many things. I am sure it was a big decision to make the move to a new area. With all that, there was excitement to start a new life together in a new place. You are grieving the loss of a stage of life that was meant to be experienced with your loved one. It is very important to give yourself time to grieve these losses. There are things you left behind when you moved, like friends, possibly a church family and familiar surroundings. Those things have to be grieved as well. I remember moving from one town to another that was only a few miles away. I felt the loss of leaving my home, where I raised my children as well as my local grocery store, which was walking distance from my front door. These sound like silly things to grieve, but they impacted me. In your case, your husband and partner was your link to the things you anticipated sharing together. Cling to the fact that he would want you to be happy, safe and content. Baby steps are the key here. Give yourself a gift. Take a walk, visit a community center, find a social group or church you feel comfortable in joining. In time, you will find people that will come alongside you and share your new journey. This will not erase your loss, but it will fill you with good things that will help you get back “into life.”
Have a question for our angel correspondent? You can send our angel an email to apetersen@visitingangels.com or send your question via mail to Ask An Angel, 65 Woodbury St., South Elgin, IL 60177.
