A Becoming Me Without You Blog
By Rachael Crabb
I can’t believe we’re in the month of Thanksgiving 2023 and the month of the first anniversary of this blog, Becoming Me Without You. I have reason to give thanks when I came across a journal I kept during our Sabbatical at Tyndale Study Center in Cambridge, UK (1989-1990).
I don’t journal very often but finding that journal with the tiniest details of life in Cambridge, eg naming restaurants Blue Boar, where they were located, Trinity Street; and what we ate, ploughman’s plate, was a treasure. I even took time to write who won at a game and by how much…Larry won at battleship by one. I was so glad I journaled; I only wish I would have had that to read to Larry as he was in hospice.
Speaking of journals, I want to thank all the folks who contributed to this blog because they shared what I like to think of as a “journal page” from their grief experience and helped educate us in the different ways they are “Becoming Me, Without…” their loved one.
- Thankful for John Garrett, a widower who wrote the boys and me a letter on Larry’s first birthday in heaven that became the spark that started this fire of Becoming Me, Without You.
- Thankful for Jeanie Stirling who was with me when I got the letter from John, is the editor for the blog, has written 1/3rd of the blog posts and helped with others (not this one, and it shows).
- I’m thankful to Larger Story staff gals (Rosanne and Karlene) who encouraged me to do a monthly blog on grief with real-life stories.
- More thankfulness goes to Tracy Pratt and Judy Moore who shared their mothers’ hearts as they cared for their daughters through heavy issues in life.
- With thankfulness to Bob Crawford who surprised me with his grief journal long before I planned it for rotation. He said he wrote thoughts as we chatted, to begin the process of writing about his situation as a widower. Bob became intrigued with the process and received a measure of healing by writing memories of Anne.
- Two more widows to thank, Phoebe Crabb, who has the distinction of being the most experienced widow, (30+ years) and Nancy Little, widow for the shortest time to write for this group, just a year when she journaled for us.
Philippians 1:3
I thank my God upon every remembrance of You (John, Jeanie, Larger Story
Staff, Tracy, Judy, Bob, Phoebe, Nancy, The Readers and Supporters of the Larger
Story)
In this next year, we plan to have “journal” entries from a daughter, best friend, widows and widowers.
To read any of the past year’s blogs, use the search bar for “Becoming Me, Without You” and the other posts will be available there.
Becoming Me, Without Larry,
Rachael