Dear Phoenix Lover: For my new readers, a "Phoenix" refers to a widower who has risen from the ashes of his past to find new love. This journey is not an easy one for him. It takes courage to step back into the dating world, which can be a daunting and incredibly challenging experience. Let's address the elephant (or perhaps the grizzly bear) in the room: grief can cause people to behave in unpredictable ways. His children are not attacking you personally; they are trying

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...

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.