Donna I totally feel your pain. Picking up the pieces after your spouse has passed away is a logistical nightmare for many of us.

It's almost 6 months since my husband died, of sepsis. Between diagnosis and death I had 24 hours to get used to my life as a single person.

When the paramedics were working on him, they told me he was responding well, a good sign, they said.

Still he didn't survive surgery for the ruptured bowel that caused the sepsis.

My daughter and her husband have been rocks. I'm not sure how I would have managed without them.

I've had huge things to deal with, ones that have galvanised me in so many ways, but rocked me in the first instance.

Life as a single person is not all bad, but it's certainly different.

I make sure I pack my days with things that are dear to me, keeping fit, gardening, and writing. That way I sleep well.

My friend's husband died of pancreatic cancer a couple of weeks ago. He didn't respond well to chemo, so let nature take its course.

She, fortunately, has a large family, all living close by.

Still, death is hard. Despite this, the person left behind finds strengths they often didn't know they had.

I think you have found both peace and strength. 💜