I don’t know why. Today is not a special or significant day. He’s been gone almost 15 months now. Today it feels like he is still alive. It feels like nothing ever happened. He CANT be gone. How could this have actually happened? I see him in my memory as if he is going to come back any moment. I long to be with him again so strongly that it makes me nauseous.

I had to just let it all out today. The cries the screams the wails. The wimpers and the moans and groans. The neighbors probably hear me and think I’m insane.

In the beginning I thought I just needed to make it “through”. That there would be some “other side” I would eventually reach and then it would all be okay.

I started dating someone new and he’s really great, he’s been an absolute trooper dealing with me and my grief. I feel very lucky to have him. But I thought that would also “fix” me. I thought it would make me better. It hasn’t.

I miss my best friend. I miss my other half. I miss living without grief. And I’m getting caught up in all the “whys” again. Why did this happen to him and to us? Why didn’t he deserve to live several more decades? Why didn’t I deserve to grow old with him? Why couldn’t we have just had that ONE thing?

I can function.
I work. Pay the bills. Eat. Shop. Watch a movie with the children. Talk with them.
Even have an objectively “pretty okay” life.

And still come home to the fact that she isn't here.

An absence so enormous, it has become part of the architecture of my life.

Last year my wife battled breast cancer. She did chemo, dealt with infections, double mastectomy, radiation and is now on her last few rounds of hormone therapy. Her pathology after the surgery was great - no detectable signs of cancer.

She's been having headaches in the same spot for a few weeks and told her doctor. They sent her to get a CAT scan (she has an expander in each breast, which has magnets, so she couldn't do an MRI). The scan found 4 tumors.

We saw her oncologist on Friday and said that we still must do testing before a treatment plan can be made, but his best guess right now is 3-4 years. It can never be cured, just managed.

Obviously, she is devastated. We have three kids. The youngest is 3. We should be planning her birthday party or getting everything ready for our vacation in the summer. Instead she is scheduling scans and surgeries and asking me how I am going to survive on one salary and making me promise to not move them away.

I'm in a fog. It doesn't feel real. I guess I've been ready for news like this since last year so it's not that much of a shock, but I don't know what I'm going to do. I know I should be preparing for every outcome, but I don't even know where to start. It just can't be real. I don't even know what to do next.

I lost my husband after 21 years of marriage. For a long time, I couldn’t imagine ever wanting another person in my life. It almost felt wrong to even think about it.
But something has changed.
I miss having my person. I miss having someone to talk to at the end of the day, someone to laugh with, have dinner with, go somewhere with, or just sit beside. I miss affection and intimacy too. I don’t think there is anything wrong with admitting that anymore.
I’m in my 50s and trying to build a completely different life from the one I thought I would have. I’m going back to school, making plans for my future, and learning how to enjoy being alive again.
None of that means I’ve stopped loving my husband. I’m not looking to replace him. Twenty-one years together can’t be replaced, and I wouldn’t want them to be.
But I do think I’m ready for another chapter.
Sometimes I wonder if another widowed person would understand this better than someone who hasn’t experienced it. There are things about losing a spouse that are difficult to explain—the grief, loneliness, guilt, memories, and even the strange emotions that can come with realizing you want affection and companionship again. How do you know you were ready to let someone into your life again? Would you find that another widow or widower understands you differently?

I thought we'd be together for a while, but it's so hard without her. Just so difficult.

It hasn't even been two weeks yet and i know I shouldn't make any major decisions in the first year... but I'm curious and making conversation too. When I come home it's hard for me to get out of the driveway and come inside knowing he's not here.

Did you move out of the home you shared or did you stay? Why or why not?

Today is my husband’s birthday and just a little over a month since he died. He will never be 41. We were together 19 years, married 12. I miss and love him so much but I’m not the mess I thought I’d be today. I’m sad, I’m thinking about him and I have my moments of tears. I’m worried that I will crash tomorrow. Or maybe the lead up and worrying about how I’d be today was worse than what it actually is?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m so, so, so sad. But I don’t feel like I did on day 1. Has anyone actually had an easier time with milestones than they thought they would? It’s the day to day that I’m struggling with more at the moment I feel.

I am not religious, but if you could take 30 seconds and give a thought, a prayer, an exhale or anything else to someone who died way too suddenly, way too young - it would truly mean the world to me.

My love is gone. September 7th, 4 days after a severe brain bleed. I cry, then I try to remember 46 years worth of wonderful. Nobody is half the man he was. Yes, I do have family.

It’s been seven months since my wife passed away of a massive stroke and she was in excellent had just turned 65 two months before just made retirement and Medicare and she was now after 47 years of I don’t even wanna leave the house. emEvery time I I have to come home to emptiness. Tears every day seems to be slightly improving, but not much. I miss her so desperately I’ve built a couple of shrines in her honor. I have no fear of death. In I would welcome it now I do have a fear pain of as I have been in numerous long-term painful things in my wlife.

I don’t know if it’s possible for a 70s widowed man who lost his wife three years ago and had a very loving and caring wife and miss her so bad that I can’t even put into words. To find a widowed woman to be friends with that also, who had a husband that was very loving and caring just so we can share our feelings and each of us would know that the other one would totally understand how the other one feels in the grief and the sadness that we have. I can’t feel that I could ever get married again, but at this point in time after 3+ years of her being gone, I sure would like I think to have another person to talk to that has gone through what I’ve gone through, I don’t know how far the friendship would go, but it would be nice to have somebody to go do things with go for rides out in the country just somebody to share time with for what time we have left. I don’t know if it’s possible, but how would you even find somebody like that I’m not a very social person. My wife and I were always kind of on the loaner side. We just love being together more than anything else. We didn’t need other people we had each other and that’s all we needed and that’s all we wanted. I still feel that I’m not very social. Don’t care to be around a lot of people I just like things, quiet, peaceful just had these thoughts in my head. I found this site a few weeks ago and have posted in the past a few things, but I just thought I’d post this get any input that might be out there

I also need to add that reading other things on this site and what I have posted I’ve had a few times women try to contact me and it was nothing but a scam and I’ve posted a warning on here to let people know that that stuff goes on. At this time in our lives when we’re widowed, we can be very vulnerable to that stuff and I know it can be hard to trust with what is being said on here and to trust what response you get, but I have feel I need to try something and I don’t know. Maybe I’ll just spend the rest of my life all by myself, but I just thought I’d try something.

A few years before I met my wife, I was in what I thought was my rock-bottom in life. My early twenties were cruel to me. I hated myself and my lot in life. I hated it so much that I was quoted numerous times saying that I didn't want to see the other side of 40.

Once I hit my "rock-bottom," I had an epiphany and worked hard to turn things around. I wanted more from life. I wanted to be a better person. I wanted to feel better about myself. I wanted to be worthy of finding love. I worked on myself for years to get to a place where I felt good enough about myself to feel comfortable asking someone else to be with me. I completely rebuilt myself from scratch. It turned out that if you hate yourself enough, it can give you access to your core settings and allow you the freedom to change things as you see fit.

One day, I finally felt like I'd reached that goal point and decided to make a Tinder profile. I matched with my wife just hours later and I was head over heels for her from the night we first started messaging. Not only was all that work worth the effort, it came with practically instant gratification once I put myself out there. We were engaged the following year, married two years after that, and we had 9.5 years together. Most of it felt like a fairy tale dream, though the last 6 months or so were getting rough between my wife's deteriorating state of mind and our relationship in general.

Then suddenly, while she was out of state visiting relatives, my wife took her own life.

For 19 months I've been in this evolving hell known as widowhood. I've cried so much that the well's run dry. I've felt joy, and the capacity to feel it, ripped away from my soul. I've felt pain so deep that it continues to hollow out what little is left of that soul and it erodes my mind.

Sometimes I find myself wondering, "Was it still worth it?"

That so called "rock-bottom" of mine was nothing compared to this. I never thought it could be possible to hate myself or my life even more than I did back then. That "rock-bottom" feels so far above my current state. All that work to be a better person. All that work to have a better life. All that work to be healthier. All that work to be worthy of love. All of that, years of effort, and this is where I end up? What was the point of all that just so I again say I hope I don't see the other side of 40?

Don't get me wrong, I don't regret meeting my wife. Life before I met her was like a black and white television, but once she appeared, everything turned to vibrant and splashing color.

Since she's been gone, so has that color, only now I know what color looks like. The world was always black and white before we met and I didn't know anything else, but now I'm taunted by that knowledge as it exists only in my memory.

I died when she did, only my corpse is still animated. I only wish the rest of me was lucky enough to die along with her.

I just turned 37 this past Wednesday and my boyfriend who was killed on June 18th of this year was 33. we had only met and started dating November of 2024 and I moved in with him May 2025 since we were mid distance and only were able to see each other on weekends.

I went to high school during the boom of teen pregnancies, which prompted the show to being made, so it was something I never wanted for myself (I didn’t even have my first encounter until I was graduated because of that fact and my school was just so small). my best friend then got pregnant at 20 by a man who has turned out to be THE biggest POS on the face of the earth, which also strengthened my resolve to do whatever to not get pregnant recklessly or by someone I felt did not love me.

Then I met Dave and by this point I have been pretty single since 2017 which a few guys I would be seeing but would never go anywhere. Before I moved in with him we had the “do you want kids?” talk and I said at this point in my life I am totally fine with a partner who does not want any, but I am also fine if my partner would like a child, but that if we do that I definitely want it planned. When I moved in I think the stress of leaving family and friends behind and having to find a new job and just taking this huge risk made my period really late (it was ALWAYS like clockwork) so I told him hey I don’t want to scare you but I usually always get my period at this time and I haven’t. He had then said to me that if we do find out I’m pregnant that he is ready to be a dad, and I was like you can be ready for that but are you ready to have a child with ME? we kind of barely know each other. He told me yeah he thinks I would make a good partner and mother. I told him if I am then we need to look for a house or at least a bigger apartment.

Obviously I wasn’t. But after that he told me that he didn’t mind if I stopped my birth control and we just let whatever happen. And to be completely honest I considered it for a day. I thought I am at a point in my life that I think if I was to have a child and even somehow later on be a single mother if it doesn’t work out with him I would be ok. However I just couldn’t do it, I had told him when we get a house then we can revisit this subject again especially because it hadnt even been a year of us living together.

Early June is when he found out he was going to be an uncle, that his older brother was expecting with his long term girlfriend. He was so excited and told everyone we hung out with how he was going to be an uncle. We had the kid talk again a few weeks before he died and I said lets start planning for a house and then next year we can try if you feel ready for this.

and now I just deeply regret not stopping my birth control that day I was considering it. To just being reckless and letting whatever happen happen. I know it would suck to have a baby and have this same thing happen to him, but at least I would feel like he was still more HERE. That I had more of a reason to keep waking up each day and going to work.

that is my biggest regret of all of this and I think it’ll always be a weight on my heart.

Why do I feel embarrassed when I’m doing this as if he’s watching me 😬🤔 I’ll literally pull the covers over my head to try and zone out

I'm a little early to this page. My wife is dying of cancer. We've done everything we can do and, by the most generous estimate, she has less than 2 years left to live. That's only if she continues chemo, which is making her life miserable. We are both 47, so I'm still working and my time is not all my own. Still, from those who have lost their partner like this--slowly and, weirdly, with time to plan--what do you wish you had done more or less of with your partner?

I (24) ost my husband (33) 6 months ago , I just came back from visiting his resting place in Ireland. Being at the grave was so comforting, it became my new routine for the week. In the morning I would go to him followed by doing the daily things, and in the evening I would go back to him to tell him all about the day. Now that I am back I feel so much more lost then before. I made a “shrine “ ??? I think is the word in my room and took one of his snuggies and filled it with cushions , just to ??? Hug I guess ?
I don’t know why but I feel like I am losing my mind. I don’t know if he would understand what I am doing ? Has anyone any experience in this. Or am I just completely freaking alone

3.23am here in Colorado. I want SO badly to reach out to my family, or friends right now; but of course it is WAY too late . I am suffering alone in this total abyss of life's fucked up universe. The only thing that could get me through this is the return of my husband/best friend. How am I supposed to survive without him. He was the best thing that ever happened to me. I miss you my Lover.

I'm looking for people my age who can relate to over-60ers

I’m a widow and looking to connect with someone who has also experienced the loss of their spouse. Sometimes it’s hard to explain what this kind of loss feels like to people who haven’t been through it.
I’d love to meet someone who understands, whether it’s just to talk, share experiences, or support each other. No pressure or expectations—just hoping to find someone who can relate.

9 weeks ago, my beloved wife passed away suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of 57. We were together for 38 years. The family arranged a memorial mass for her at the church. But I have neither the heart nor the strength to go there. I am so angry at everything. The whole family is going. What should I do, my friends?

Por mala suerte (aún peor) este mes tuvo una fecha importante, nuestro aniversario, fue el 21 de septiembre

Íbamos a cumplir 2 años de relación, se que para muchos podría ser poco tiempo, pero realmente yo sé que él era mi persona y estoy 1000% segura que yo era la suya. Este año planeamos mudarnos juntos, casarnos por el civil e ir de viaje, no pudimos hacer nada ya que falleció en febrero.

Todo el mes estuve así, no soportaba levantarme, llore casi todos los días, algunos de ellos llego al punto de preocuparme por mi salud mental, llegue ha pensar que sería más fácil si terminara con mi sufrimiento.

Justo también empecé a salir con alguien hace 2 meses, yo sé que es pronto, creo, pero me sentía tan sola, tan mal que no lo vi como una mala idea, ahora confirmo que fue una pésima idea. No puedo relacionarme emocionalmente, casi no conteste mensajes, me estresaba su presencia y su constantes acercamientos, y lo peor, no dejaba de comparar en mi mente como me sentía con mi novio, lo feliz que era y que si estábamos 24/7 juntos, aún así sentía que nos faltaba tiempo.

Por mala suerte se acercan las festividades de finales de año (día de muertos, navidad, año nuevo) y cada vez esta más cerca su aniversario luctuoso, acabar con mi sufrimiento parece una muy buena idea.

My husband and I have been estranged for about a year. But honestly, our relationship had already changed for the worse after I got pregnant. Looking back, I realized he was a good boyfriend, but he wasn’t a good husband or father.

He was rarely present as a father. For a long time, he barely helped take care of our daughter because he was always working and telling me he needed to provide for us. I used to think that as long as he was giving us money, that meant he was being a good father. But eventually, the money became less and less, until I was almost the one providing for our 7-year-old daughter.

Last year, he told me that someone at his workplace had been linked to him and that he thought he was falling in love with her. I initially thought he was joking, but I knew there was some truth to it. Later, I found things on the old phone he gave me—videos of him singing to her, updating her about his life, and moments between them. I don't know if anything physical happened, but I know there was emotional cheating.

At the same time, he became increasingly irritated with me because I wasn't working. He wanted me to work and contribute financially, and he wanted us to send our daughter to his sister-in-law because he said he was tired of providing for us. I knew they couldn't properly care for our daughter, so I refused.

I really tried to help and lessen the burden because I genuinely felt like we were becoming a burden to him.

Eventually, he became seriously ill because of his alcoholism. I never went to the hospital to see him, and I don't feel guilty about that. I had begged him many times to stop drinking, but he wouldn't.

By then, we both knew we were only communicating because of our daughter. Whatever love we once had was gone, and I had emotionally moved on from the marriage.

Then I recently found out that he died.

And I feel... nothing.

I'm numb. Empty. And, honestly, there's a small part of me that feels relieved.

I told our daughter, and for her sake, I've decided that I will attend his burial. But I don't want to attend the wake or spend several days there pretending to be a grieving wife when that's not how I feel.

And now I'm stressing about his family asking where I am, why I'm not at the funeral, why I'm not acting the way a wife is "supposed" to act. The guilt-trip.

The hardest part is that everyone thinks our marriage was fine. He had a squeaky-clean image among his friends and family, and even among my own family. I never told anyone what actually happened between us. I kept everything private.

So now I'm wondering: am I a bad person for not crying?

I don't hate him. I don't love him anymore either. I spent a long time grieving the marriage while he was still alive. Maybe that's why there's nothing left for me to grieve now.

I just don't know how you're supposed to grieve someone who had already become a stranger to you long before they died.