Care for the Family Widowed Young Support

01/06/2026

Here is a glimpse into our recent support day in Northern Ireland. These days are designed to offer hope, support and connection. Check out our website for more information and for our upcoming autumn events.

01/06/2026

I’ll always defend a widow or widower’s love for the person that died.

Because we didn’t walk away, choose to end anything, or even get a say in how the story stopped.

It was taken from us, and loving someone who died is different.

That kind of love doesn’t just get stuck someplace in the past. It stays with us forever.

So when someone questions why we still talk about them, I can get pretty defensive. Because we still love them. How could we not? It wasn’t a breakup and we weren’t given a choice.

And for those who find their way to opening their heart again, I totally respect that! Because loving again after loss isn’t a replacement. It’s not moving on. It’s choosing something that already showed us how much it can hurt. And I know that takes a lot of courage.

And for those that think the person who’s gone is being replaced, they're wrong. They can’t ever be replaced, and the love we have for them doesn’t disappear just because someone new enters our life. Carrying both loves isn’t something to be questioned. It’s something to be honored.

Here’s the thing…we didn’t choose any of this.

Not the loss. Not the life we had to learn to live afterward. And not the fact that the love stays.

It just does.

So yes…I’ll always defend a widow or widower’s right to still love the person that died.

Because that love didn’t end. It just changed.

And we’re just doing the best we can to carry it forward.

Gary Sturgis
Author: ‘SURVIVING GRIEF – 365 Days A Year’

31/05/2026

Sometimes the quietest moments hold the heaviest weight, serving as a powerful reminder of unspoken pain, resilience, and deep reflection.

30/05/2026

Grief is a unique, non-linear journey influenced by individual personality and the nature of the relationship.

There is no "right" or "wrong" way to grieve, so it's important to accept and respect the diverse ways people process loss.

Credit: When You Die

29/05/2026

I remember, just two weeks after my husband died, thinking I should be 'over it' by now.

It's ridiculous, looking back. But at the time, I just wanted my life to look 'normal' again and grief to stop.

The truth is, that we learn to live with this new identity and carry our grief with us. We don't get over the loss of our loved ones, we learn to honour them as we live our lives.

28/05/2026

I opened my computer this morning and saw a link to a video on CNN entitled, “Cancer Patient Marries in Hospital.”

I clicked it open and held my breath. I knew I was tempting fate by doing it and putting myself in a position to test my emotional strength. It hasn’t been a good last two days for me, because I haven’t been feeling good physically or emotionally, but I was curious.

I was also ready to hit ‘stop’ if the video got too sad.

It did…and I cried.

I cried because, here was a woman, that had been fighting breast cancer, which spread to her brain, and her family was all around her, along with, the man she was going to marry that day.

And what I saw was such love, from her mother and her sisters, her young brother, who smiled and said, “This is going to be a good day today,” and of course, from her fiancé.

This young woman was in the ICU and was looking pretty rough, but her family was there with helping hands and open hearts.

Here’s the thing…I recognized the look on their faces.

It was a pure and simple love.

I tend to be really careful when I talk about my spouse’s last days. I’m worried that people won’t understand the preciousness of being there, how it was such a sacred moment for me.

I’ve since run into quite a few people who have privately shared with me how they considered it a privilege to be with the one they love as they died.

It’s not only a privilege, but also a love that transcends. It’s a kind of love you’ll never forget.

I saw this in the family on the CNN video. I most definitely saw it in the glow of her fiancé. All I had to do was look at his face to know his heart was bursting with so much love for this woman.

I could tell his love was complete and unconditional. And of course, that made me cry too.

I just think our capacity to love is so incredible. How our hands, arms, and hearts are like bridges that can help our loved one step from this world into the next. And how it all transcends this world as we know it.

We’re so small…but we have the capacity to hold so much love inside.

Gary Sturgis
Author: ‘SURVIVING GRIEF – 365 Days A Year’

27/05/2026

26/05/2026

"Grief is hard on the body.

Those who are grieving need
more rest. They aren't being
lazy or wasting time. The burden they are carrying is
sucking an incredible amount
of energy from them. The
onslaught of emotions is
relentless, making even the simplest of tasks exhausting."

Credit: Michelle Moore — 'Moving Forward in Grief'

Image credit:
While We're Waiting

25/05/2026

24/05/2026

Friendship can take on a new meaning after loss.

It often becomes less about quantity and more about depth about finding people who truly understand what you’re going through, even without many words.

These are the friendships that hold space for both grief and healing. The ones that allow you to show up exactly as you are, without expectation or pressure.

In a time when so much feels uncertain, these connections can become a quiet source of comfort and strength.

No one should have to walk this journey alone.