On my way to the Death Café a couple of weeks ago, I wandered through a couple of old kirkyards at the base of the Edinburgh Castle.…
When we think about the grieving that happens after the death of a loved one, we often think about the suffering those left behind are…
Today marks eight years since his heart stopped beating. And in that very same moment, my own heart shattered into a million pieces. Remarkably, my shattered heart…
It’s Christmas Eve Eve (which means that tomorrow is Christmas Eve) and I am acutely aware that this Christmas is different from all of my…
I love Zadar! I really do. I arrived here last Sunday for an academic conference and I will be travelling home tomorrow. But in this one week, I fell in…
When you live your life without a partner, it can be lonely. Even if you fill your days with friends and acquaintances, it can be…
The holidays are here again, and that means I’m facing an extended period of holiday hush. “Hush” because, like most years, I will be spending Christmas…
Some days, I think about how lonely I am, and about how I want to find someone to share my life with. I think about…
For nearly two years now, I’ve been experiencing an extreme amount of stress. Some days and weeks have been harder than others, but there hasn’t…
Life is hard these days and sometimes I wonder what my limits are. Sometimes I wonder how many more disappointments and frustrations I can manage…
I took myself into town today for some sightseeing and struggled over how I felt about the day. I had originally planned to spend the…
Today marks five years since I lost my beloved husband so suddenly; so unexpectedly. You’d think that after five years it would feel like a distant memory,…
The world seems to be closing in on me right now and it’s destroying my soul. The only thing that is saving me from a…
I want to go away on holiday somewhere. It doesn’t have to be far away; just a nice holiday away from home. I want to…
For the vast majority of my adult life, I have been alone. I’ve only ever had one “real” boyfriend (after having briefly dated a not-nice…
Life is so very different without Paul and these past four years have been a rollercoaster ride that I never could have imagined. Without Paul,…
The truth is, I fell. I fell really, really hard and I spiralled a bit. OK, maybe I spiralled a lot. It started last September…
I’ve decided to spend Christmas alone this year. I know that sounds silly to some people, but it seems like the right thing to do…
It’s been three years since Paul died so suddenly; so unexpectedly. Some days I can’t believe that he’s gone. Some days I struggle with comprehending…
It’s been a week since I last shared my mundane life with you here on Just Frances. And it’s been nearly that long since I…