I was prepared to feel sorry for myself. This is my first U.N. International Widows’ Day. I lost my husband last November.
Then I started enjoying the good memories of a 35+ year marriage. And I realized how much luckier I am than many widows in the world. I live in a free country, in safety, with enough resources to sustain me and then some, and a family–small, but here for me.
And I look at other parts of the world, where widows suffer immensely. Their land taken from them. Family members evicting them from the homes or even killing them. Shamed because their husbands are dead. Having to take their children out of school to work to support the family.
The U.N. is trying to solve these problems, but it will take a long time.
I’m deeply saddened by the plight of my sisters in widowhood. I greatly miss my husband, but I am so grateful for my own life and for the fact that the U.N. is working toward better lives for my international sisters.