After 10 months of Covid, and many changes in the way we live, get together and support each other, as Widowed Friends, we’ve learned a few lessons.
First, Covid has been challenging for everyone, but especially for those recently bereaved. Not only do they have to deal with loss, but isolation and fear of illness, compounding pain and feelings of sadness.
As an organization, Widowed Friends mission is to reconnect widows and widowers to each other and to life and help rebuild lives after loss. But, now after all this time apart, we see that for all of us, we must also work to build hope, to find the “light at the end of tunnel” and strive to help all of us manage through difficult circumstances and find new ways to thrive.
Second, while we can’t get together and provide that person-to-person comfort, we’ve found many new ways to communicate and connect and we are grateful for all the technologies that allow us to do that. We’ve made great use of Zoom, email platforms, our website and our phones and are always on the lookout for new and fun ways to stay connected and help lighten the day for members.
Third, we’ve learned that long chats by phone, group meetings via Zoom, email newsletters and more all go a long way to helping members find each other in new ways. While it’s wonderful to chat in person, we’ve learned that there is an intimacy and connection that online zoom meetings provide that we might never experience in casual social encounters.
We have big plans for the future to grow as a community and to provide members with more support and services and we are looking forward to sharing new ventures with our membership as time goes on.
Finally, we’ve learned the truth in the old cliché that everything is an opportunity to learn and grow. Although Covid has not been enjoyable, we’ve become stronger in our resolve to bring strength, concern, compassion and comfort to everyone who joins our community.
Thanks for being a member. Onwards.
