What do you say?

A few years ago, after my husband died. I saw a call for submissions for this book, On Our Own, Widowhood for Smarties. I decided to send in some of my poetry I had written while dealing with my grief.

I am proud to have been accepted for this anthology. The work in this book is not only poetry, but short pieces by those who have lost loved ones and how they are going on with their lives. A blog reader recently said she had ordered the book when her husband died. I think it is good to give to friends who have lost a husband or a wife, a life partner or even for children of widows because they don't often understand. It is not all sad. Some of the stories are humorous and all are of value to those who are in mourning or who are grieving.

As I told my dinner companion last night, when you have been married 45 years, you become one entity. When one of you die, the one that is left is like half a person for awhile. It takes a long time to make the half that is left work like it should. 

I am not sure if this book is still in print. The book was published by Silver Boomer Books out of Abilene, Texas. I have three so if you want one, let me know. 

Here are some pieces in this book.

Widowhood: Some Notes by Cathy Douglas

1. Nobody knows what to say to a person in grief, especially someone they don't know well. I used to wonder what to say, too. I suggest "condolences," or some related phrase, because it gives the person an easy reply: "Thank you." If you say "I'm sorry," it is awkward, because there's no obvious reply to it. You can't thank a person for feeling sorry and a reply like "Me too" sounds flip. By offering condolences, you're making things easy on the grieving person, and helping the conversation move forward. 

One time I said "I'm sorry" to a teenager who'd just lost his sister to leukemia, and he replied, "That's okay. It wasn't your fault." ...

Sleeping Alone by Glenda Beall

In the dark, I close my eyes,

try to push away the memories,

the feel of your smooth skin

sliding over lean bones and strong sinew,

the softness of your hair, smelling clean

as fresh air and rainwater. It grew back thicker,

darker

after chemo.

SILVER BOOMER BOOKS ON SALE

Last year two of my poems were published in an anthology, On Our Own, Widowhood for Smarties published by Silver Boomer Books.

A few years ago, another of my poems was published in a Silver Boomer anthology, Freckles to Wrinkles. 

Silver Boomer books is having a special sale on these anthologies which have stories, memoir, and poetry by many good writers. I am particularly proud to be included in On Our Own, Widowhood for Smarties. This book makes an excellent gift for someone who has lost a spouse. 

See more about the sale below.

In anticipation of reorganizing our Abilene office space this fall, we are offering a great sale on our entire catalog of titles published through 2012. We need to reduce local inventory before moving. This is a very limited offer, good through July 31.

Not only are we offering great prices, all shipping is free within the U.S. Click on the sale link at silverboomerbooks.com to see the entire sale list.

This is a great opportunity to stock up your gift closet...have something on hand for every reader for every occasion.