Staunton Star - Times - Published in the Interest of the Staunton Community for Over 143 Years

By: Jill Pertler

When my husband died three years ago one of the first thoughts I had was, “I’m not going to be a widow.”

What that meant, to me, was that I wasn’t going to let widowhood define me.

Now I realize that was a naive belief, because widowhood literally defines who you are and who you are becoming.

How could it not? It is your past, present and future – all in one simple word. Yeah, it sucks.

Widowhood is all-encompassing. You don’t just lose a person. You lose a way of life. You lose your daily schedule – the person you eat meals with, sleep with, vacation with, watch TV with, figh...