Sunday, 07 March 2010 -- Day 77 (90)

Sitting w/ Dad in church today, I noticed him give a silent head nod to a gentleman sitting behind us. That man lost his wife a few month's before Mom passed away. The look that passed b/w the two of them was of complete understanding of the abject pain they were each feeling. Then I looked over to our right, and I saw a man who lost his wife last year too. Three men forming a widower's triangle, all widowed in the same year. All three looked pale, thin, and haggard.

I continued to peruse the congregation and noticed the widows of the church. I wouldn't say they were vibrant, but they looked much more at peace w/ their situations. Perhaps b/c they had been widowed longer and had accepted their fates, or maybe it's true what I've heard so many women say. "Women can handle be widowed easier than a man." I still don't know exactly what that means, but maybe women are naturally more accustomed to accept what life gives us. History certainly proves that women haven't always been given a voice to vote or own property or work outside the home. We've had to accept b/c we had no other choice. Looks like in this instance, playing the hand we're dealt makes coping w/ loss a little easier. I hope the three men get to that point of peace and acceptance too.