Standing on your Own

Dear Women… Sisters,

To those I know and those I don’t- who have gone through a divorce, have become a widow, or had a long term relationship end- I am writing to you.

My heart breaks for you.

You who have gone through the pain, feeling betrayed and battle-worn, grieving with loss, loneliness, and dealing with the uncertainty of each day.

I see you.

In 2000, I had a heart-wrenching year. My marriage was a mess, my career was in turmoil, and in October, my grandfather passed away. I didn’t realize until recently how much he had been a mentor to me, full of tough love, insistent exposure to new experiences, and his tenacity towards life. He always had the biggest presence in my life. His death left me shattered. And with my marriage leaving me drained and defeated, that ended too.

Enter my grandmother… smart, sharp, outgoing, a tough cookie (I know through her stories growing up in the depression forged this determination).

I began to spend more and more time with her- after his death and my marriage crumbled. Two women in completely different stages in life; yet finding surprising, yet comforting similarities. I remember her telling me how interesting and unfamiliar it was that she could now voice her own political views, pursue her own interests, even cook…