When Donnie died I was what I would call a “normal” married woman with a husband, grown children and a job.  I had never thought of writing a book, speaking in front of groups or in any way getting into sales and marketing.  I wasn’t even on face book and I knew nothing about having my own websites and a registered business. I was thrown out of my “normal” life and I had to sink or swim as I fought to find my way as a widow.  In my journey I have learned new skills, accepted change more readily and meet lots of new people (many who have become good friends). I am in my fourth year as a widow and l have found many of my own hidden talents because I reached out to learn from others.  I couldn’t have done what I have done without the support and encouragement I received from other widows in the earlier years of my journey.  They helped me to find my passion and just do it.  I learned to overcome the fear of failure and instead understand my fear of going through life sad and unhappy. I enjoyed being married and sharing my life with Donnie, but that is not my life now and I’ve come to terms with that.  It has taken time but by going after something and developing my hidden talents I’ve learned to be happy.  This is what I want for the other widows that are coming after me – to learn to be happy again and to embrace all that life still has to offer. I received the below email from Chantelle my website designer and it is proof positive that any widow can follow her passion and be successful. From: Chantelle Doiron <chantelle@h2conline.com> Date: Sun, Jun 3, 2012 at 2:16 PM I ran a SEO check on your site yesterday for keywords and also found out that you are ranking very well in Google for the following keywords that you chose. Well done with all your hard word making sure your blog was search engine optimized. site for widows - positions #5 & #6 widows resource - position #2 & #3 resource site for widows - positions #1 & #2