What can you create?

Several months after Ron died, a good friend of ours who was much younger died suddenly. Feeling a deep connection with his wife, I immediately wrote her a letter including everything I could think of that she needed to know at that moment. She had not thought before this at all about what would happen if he died, and I knew what she was dealing with since I had lost two husbands. She let me know how helpful my advice was and how much she appreciated it which made me think that there must be something else I could do. I knew one of the hardest things for me was after the services were over for both husbands, all my friends got back to their own lives, and I felt very alone. I decided I would write her a note every week for the first year.

I ended up writing the content for all fifty-two notes in two days.  Once I started writing them, they just poured out. Each message offered a different perspective for her to think about. I live on Maui and love taking pictures with my phone of all the beauty here. I created note cards that I could print from my computer that each had a different picture I took. Then I printed the messages inside. I put them in order in a box so I could easily pull one in the mail each Monday, sometimes writing an additional little note.

It’s been over a year now, and my friend told me how much she appreciated this support. She even said she could still use it, so that has me thinking of what to do next.  Another dear friend lost her husband, so I have been sending her cards. And my granddaughter asked me if I could print cards for her that she could send them to the wife of her father’s best friend after he died suddenly.  Now the woman that has been receiving those cards has asked me for a set so that she could, in her words, pay it forward to a friend of hers who just lost her husband.

I am thrilled at the support these cards have given to these people. Each time I print a set, I read all of the messages again and find that I get support from them too.  I have even considered finding a way to market them, but for now, I am just responding to individual requests. Mailing a note every week is a commitment, but it has brought me much joy. And the content led me to write my book which should be coming out soon!

I loved the process of creating these cards. What can you create? The process of creativity is so therapeutic when dealing with grief. Think about things you enjoy doing or you  would like to learn. Some ideas could be writing, painting, decorating, cooking, entertaining, or fundraising. Or you could take a class in any of these areas or others you think of.  Find something you can get lost in and enjoy. If it benefits someone else along the way, that’s even better! I would love to hear what you have done or plan to do. What you create can inspire someone else, too! Please reply here, or post in our Reclaiming Your Joy private Facebook group, or send me an email. Get creative and have fun!