When I picked up a book about a group of women struggling to navigate the tragedy of becoming widows, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Obviously, this is one of the worst things that can happen to a young woman or mother. She has the rest of her life planned out, and all of sudden everything changes. Everything, because your husband is gone. This is not something I have experienced, at all. It’s hard for me to imagine what that must even be like.
But as I dove into the Saturday Night Widows, I realized that while becoming a widow may not be something I can relate to, the true story I found in this book was actually about finding a way to start over when life has pulled the rug out from underneath you and doing it with friends.
These are things I can relate too…
The focus of the book wasn’t just about losing a spouse (though I’m sure women who have lived that particular circumstance will get even more from this story than I did) but about losing everything and rising from the ashes. Whether that’s losing your home, a job, infertility, divorce, or any circumstance where you have to pick up and start all over again.
And that’s the thing I kept going back to while reading this book.
Is that YOU can start all over again. All you have to do is put your head down and keep going. And surround yourself with friends who won’t judge you and will let you laugh in the face of tragedy.
Which is really the secret to life in general isn’t it?
Laugh at life, even when everything hurts and it’s totally not appropriate, laugh. Laugh at the absurdity and unfairness of it all. Laugh at your horrible luck. Laugh to help keep the tears at bay. And make sure you have friends who will laugh (or cry) with you at all those inappropriate times.
Oh, and go ahead read books that you don’t think you’ll relate to. Because you might just be surprised…
photo credit: The Wandering God via photopin cc
Feb 14, 2013 @ 00:14:57
I love your takeaway from the book. It’s a good reminder on how to look at what life throws you.