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One day you’re making plans, and the next you’re standing in the wreckage of a life you thought was secure. I’m back on Brewtifully Made to tell the truth about what the last two months have been: becoming a widow at 56, closing my art studio, letting go of my home, and moving across the country to start over with two of my daughters and granddaughters nearby. It’s overwhelming, messy, and nothing like the “strong and steady” version of me I expected to be.

I talk about suicide loss and what it’s like to carry grief while trying to protect six kids between us, especially his sons. I also share the complicated layers that come with a veteran’s PTSD, the frustration of navigating support systems like the VA, and the shock of realizing how much a digital footprint can reveal. Finding messages, images, traces of his thought processes and writings after he’s gone has been gut-wrenching, because it can change how you understand the person you loved and it can make you question everything, including yourself.

I’m leaning hard on therapy, community, and the small acts that keep me tethered to life. Creativity is still part of my healing, even when my heart is too heavy to make “bright and fun” art. I’m trying to find a new normal, even if normal feels overrated, and I’m holding onto glimmers of light through family, pets, and tiny creative steps.

If this resonates, share this with someone who needs it...maybe it can help more people find honest conversations about grief, trauma, and creative healing. What’s one small thing that helps you keep going?

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