Widows Among Us

"These three widows have candidly and emotionally written a spirit guide and handbook that will inspire and inform many."

-Marie Lanser Beck, writer and editor

"Keep yourselves open to the ideas these wonderful women share, and prepare for the unthinkable with the hope that it will never be needed."

-Colton Petry, Just Dumb Enough Podcast

"I highly recommend this book as a useful resource with effective tools empowering women to navigate this life transition."

-Rev. Dr. Barbara Kershner Daniel

"The authors bring widowhood out of the shadows and shine a light on its unique and hidden aspects."

-LaTisha Boyd-Potts, MSW

"The book is authentic, real, and compassionate. Having read it, I can be a better friend to those facing widowhood."

-Ellen Cornelius, retired newspaper editor

"I was afraid to read this book, for it deals with something I fear - impending widowhood. But the authors' stories soothed and comforted me, and their advice made me feel stronger and more capable. I still grieve for my future loss, but now I feel able to face it."

-Linda Aufenkamp

This inspirational, enlightening book is designed for married women of all ages. It also provides ways for friends and families to support widows. It includes:

• the authors' powerful stories of loss, resilience, and transformation with a message of hope,
• crucial advice for women to prepare emotionally, financially, and legally for the unwanted role of being a widow,
• compassionate insights to support a widow as she navigates grief, confusion, despair, and frustration, as well as encouragement for self-care,
• helpful suggestions for friends and family to comfort and support a widow.

Karen R. Smith-Racicot (Tall Karen) is a certified life coach and co-owned an accounting firm for over twenty years with her late husband. After her husband's untimely death, she authored the workbook I Didn't See That Coming! as a guide for organizing important legal, financial, and insurance documents. She has spoken on that topic at various venues in the D.C. metro area. Karen is remarried and has five adult children/stepchildren and seven grandkids. She loves to quilt, and she and her husband, Bob, enjoy traveling and camping, especially throughout the beautiful U.S. national parks. Through twenty-nine lifetime moves, Karen S. Justice, MBA (Short Karen), developed skills for facing change. Becoming a widow, however, was one of the most substantial changes she faced. She and John had been married for over forty-seven years. For thirty-one of those, she followed him around the world as a military spouse. Every move required modifying life, jobs, and expectations. After her husband's death, Karen again modified her expectations and focused on building a new future. The effort combined fear, freedom, excitement, disruption, joy, and sadness. She learned even more about challenges and adaptation to change. Today, Karen continues to use her knowledge and experience through mentoring, teaching, and writing. Rebecca K. LaChance, PhD, lost her husband of twenty-five years from a heart attack in the early days of COVID-19. Her experience of becoming a widow and grieving was deeply influenced by pandemic restrictions, her neurodiverse brain, childhood traumas, and her introversion. She practiced as a registered nurse for over thirty years. Rebecca's specialty was Critical Care. Her academic career focused on the impacts of a significant other's death, including her dissertation about how advance directives were implemented in a military medical hospital.

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