I Am Exhausted ....

.... but happy.
Tired, but grateful.
Spent, but energized.


Camp Widow East is over.
Which is a good thing .... for those of us who've been going non-stop for the past several days.
But it's also a sad thing, as I could've stayed for a few more days getting to know these men and women better .... and to have spent more hours laughing and sharing with them.


This weekend was a blast.
And such a success for our very first Camp on the East coast.  There were events that we've done at every past Camp Widow that were the best ever.
Hands down.


Widowed people are the most amazing people to be with.
Especially if you, too, happen to be widowed.
I've never experienced anything like it with any other group.


When a widow meets another widow .... they usually hug.  Especially if one of them is very early on this "path".
There is an instant bond.
And you know that it could last a lifetime.


Widowed people, as a whole, are the least judgmental group of people I've ever met.
We know that there is not one way to grieve.  We know that everyone must do this on their own timeline.
We know that things are not just black and white.
And we know that sometimes .... there are questions that will never have answers.


I am so grateful to do what I do.
I am thankful that Jim's death has helped me to reach out to other widowed people .... that his death was not wasted.  It taught me a lot.  And it prepared me to reach out and grasp the hand of the widow behind me .... to help her climb out of that deep, dark valley.


The best part of Camp Widow for me?
Seeing men and women who've come to past camps .... and how much they've changed over the year.  How more easily they smile .... and laugh.
And how much they now reach out to the widowed person behind them.
They leave me feeling humbled.
And energized.
Which is a good thing because Camp Widow West is in 4 months!!


But right now .... at this moment .... I need a nap.
And I think I've found the perfect spot.

Later, Peeps.
And Happy Sunday.
:)