Dear Hidden Chapter, First, let me say how brave and hopeful it is that you and your boyfriend are ready to share your happiness with the world, even as his family is still navigating the waves of grief. Introducing a new relationship into a family mourning a significant loss is like introducing a new species into a delicate ecosystem. Success depends on patience, gentleness, and attentive observation. Remember, patience is not just a virtue; it's a necessity in this delicat

First, let's take a collective deep breath. If you're reading this, you've already done something incredibly brave: you've stepped into a story that began before you and hope to help write the next chapter. That takes courage, heart, and a willingness to be very uncomfortable for other people's sake. I know you have these things because I've been exactly where you are. When you're dating or married to a widower, the family's garden is already in full bloom...

By Deborah Holmen, M.Ed., NBCT, Published in The Good Men Project, and Change Becomes You Photo by Aaron Burden  on Unsplash I, Mother...

So, you’ve been through some shit lately, and you feel like life has decided to be your forever nemesis. What if there was an answer to your

If you’ve ever watched Animal Planet, or in my day, it was Mutual of Omaha Animal Kingdom, Mother Nature didn’t sugar-coat what life and death were all about. We witnessed the lioness desperately trying to feed her cubs and rooted in her success. Or, in the next episode, we’d watch the antelope bound desperately to escape the apex predator’s clutches. It brought the reality of life to our television in plain and simple truth: we all have an exit plan; we just don’t know when.

Guiding loved ones who may be stuck in their grief. By Deborah Holmen, M.Ed, NBCT Photo by Sandy Millar Grief can be a complicated and...