Betty Freeman Haines, regular contributor to Mesquite Citizen Journal's Writers Corner,curriculum designer, author and recent widow has just had a new book published by InterWorld Publishing; the title is Grieving Sucks or Does It?
Following the death of my husband and the end of our 42 year honeymoon, I searched desperately, in books and on the internet, for anything that might help to soothe my aching heart and help me begin the impossible task of going on without him. I was amazed at the abundance of information available in cyberspace; however, upon closer examination I found that most of it to be superficial, poorly thought out, and meaningless.
In desperation, I began keeping a journal as a means of dealing with my grief. The act of pouring my hurt, confusion, and frustration onto the pages of a journal did, indeed, give me a small measure of comfort. As my grief ebbed and I reflected on some of my journal entries, I realized that grieving had taught me valuable lessons that I wouldn't have otherwise learned. Hence, I decided to combine excerpts from my journal with my thoughts regarding these lessons and share the information with other grieving souls; thus my book was born.
The grief I felt at the loss of my husband was more acute than than any grief I had previously experienced. While he was alive, we laughed at the absurdity of the phrase too much togetherness. We were soul-mates; we were in love; we were the very best of friends. We didn't need to be together to make life complete, we wanted to be together because we found life more exciting and enjoyable that way.
Grieving the loss of a loving spouse is a very painful process; but, I believe that if one elects to open their heart and mind, grief can be an effective teacher.
From grieving, I learned lessons that will serve me well for the remainder of my life. Yes, there are times when I still proclaim that GRIEVING SUCKS; but, more often than not, I now pause and ask OR DOES IT?
I write under the name Betty Freeman Haines; my new book - Grieving Sucks Or Does it - as well as, my earlier historical fiction novel - Reluctant Hero, are available from Amazon.com.
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