Ironically, I think my mother taught me most about love after becoming a widow.

After my father passed away, Mommy showed me just how true the mantra, “You cannot truly love anyone else unless you love yourself” is. Many of the things she and my father made plans to do together once my brother and I were grown and had left home, my mother has done sans a mate. And she’s still managed to do them fabulously. She retired, relocated to her southern roots and set up a comfortable life for herself, travels, has a wonderful relationship with her grandchildren, is active in several community organizations and still manages to talk me off the ledge every now and again. Instead of shriveling up when her husband died, she was able to not merely survive but to thrive. All the while, she ensured that I maintained an active relationship with my father’s side of the family (they weren’t letting her go that easily anyway). I’ve learned so much about love just observing the type of daughter, sister, grandmother, aunt and friend she is — not perfect but always authentically her. Learning to love oneself is truly the greatest love of all.
– Bridgette, Founder/Editor

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