It’s about a week since my last post. I am glad that the anniversary is behind me. Sometimes it all seems such a long time ago, something that happened in a different world. Sometimes it seems like here and now and only yesterday. The pain is different but still very real.

As NAW chair I have had a busy week what with work (as in my paid job) and work (as in my activities with and for the NAW). NAW volunteers come in all ages of course but I always think that those of us who are of working age when our partners die are lucky in at least one respect: work is therapeutic, a crutch in time of need. I suppose that’s why I have thrown myself into my NAW activities, too!

The NAW has given me so much. Understanding friends certainly - on Monday, for example, I am off to Spain for a few days with Joyce Howe, Chair of our Oxford branch. It’s more than just friendship though.

The NAW gave me a sense of purpose when I had none, when I really just couldn’t imagine I had any future at all. The realisation not only that others had felt as I was feeling but also that they had come out on the other side, that there was hope after all, was a lifeline.

Christine and the others who commented on this blog are the tip of the iceberg. There are so many widows out there, many feeling alone and often feeling beyond hope. I’m not saying that the NAW has all the answers, we don’t cover every town in the country for example, but for some of you it may be a help - just as it was for me. Please think about contacting the NAW office (details on the web site) and getting a membership pack.

This week too, I have been talking to several of our county and area coordinators whose job it is to convene a range of social activities in specific geographical areas. There’s more about this on the web site too. The whole idea is to encourage widows and widowers to come together and work towards the building of a new life. Easier said than done of course but talking and, above all, being with people who have also lost their partners, certainly helps. No matter how different we are as individuals, and we are different with different circumstances, backgrounds etc, widowhood is still widowhood. We have more in common than we might realise. We are all in the same boat. What you feel most of us feel…..

I have also this past week been putting the finishing touches to our 2008 AGM programme. These meetings are our main business meetings where we discuss how we can help each other, and others, given our limited resources. AGMs anywhere, anytime, are never a laugh a minute but even so we do have a good time together. The first meeting might be a bit strange for a newcomer - and every year some people arrive knowing nobody. After the weekend though, surprise surprise, they’ve made friends, even enjoyed themselves - and the following year it’s great to meet up again!

Let me know what you think. My thoughts are with you.

Jean