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    Confessions of a Mediocre Widow: Or, How I Lost My Husband and My Sanity
    Confessions of a Mediocre Widow: Or, How I Lost My Husband and My Sanity
    Confessions of a Mediocre Widow: Or, How I Lost My Husband and My Sanity
    Ebook398 pages6 hours

    Confessions of a Mediocre Widow: Or, How I Lost My Husband and My Sanity

    By Catherine Tidd

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    I spent my 11th wedding anniversary planning my husband's funeral. If I could just figure out how to make that rhyme, it would be the beginning of a great country song.

    Involuntarily single. That's the true story of where Catherine Tidd found herself just three weeks after turning thirty-one. With three children under six years old, no fix-it skills, no clue how to live life as a widow and coping with grief after the death of her spouse, Catherine couldn't help but be a little exasperated with her dead husband for leaving her to deal with life on her own.

    Catherine found herself in charge of her life in a way she never wanted to be, in a way that would have most of us reeling and numb. But she soon realized that when you call the shots, you can make pedicures one of the stages of grief—and that moving forward might be more fun in a new sports car. Her honest Confessions of a Mediocre Widow is not your typical book on grief and loss of a spouse, but rather a glimpse into the heartbreaking and sometimes humorous world of a young woman who learns that overcoming grief and healing after loss is possible, and that you can find joy in an unexpected life.

    Praise for Confessions of a Mediocre Widow:

    "Heartfelt and surprisingly humorous memoir...an ultimately uplifting story, and thanks to Tidd's keen sense of humor her tale never becomes maudlin...Widowers and other readers will find inspiration and useful advice in her candid story." —Publishers Weekly

    "This was the only helpful book that I have read about becoming and being a widow. I found myself laughing and listening to Tidd as I would listen to a friend telling her story; she has a voice that is compelling, a story that is real and a book that is an invaluable addition to grief memoirs. " —Bitter/Sweet

    "With wit and good humor, Tidd looks back on the time immediately following her husband's death with charming self-deprecation at her seeming inability to be a good widow. Through this, she shows readers that there is no "right way" to grieve. " —Library Journal

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSourcebooks
    Release dateJan 7, 2014
    ISBN9781402285233
    Author

    Catherine Tidd

    Catherine Tidd is a widow, mother, and the founder of theWiddahood.com. She is a contributing author to several anthologies focusing on grief and renewal and a writer for The Denver Post’s Mile High Mamas. Originally from Louisiana, Catherine currently lives in Colorado.

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    Reviews for Confessions of a Mediocre Widow

    4/5

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    • 5/5
      I have to admit that based on the cover I didn’t know this book was non-fiction. It quickly became apparent to me that it was. This is an emotional read that left me with a tear-stained face several times. It’s one of the best memoirs I’ve read thus far. Brad Tidd, thirty-four, could not have known when he left his house one morning in 2007 that a single decision would immediately change his life, and then end it. Catherine, his wife, thirty-one, and the mother of their three small children, would spend her eleventh wedding anniversary planning her husband’s funeral. She details the agony of that experience, along with the surreal feelings that followed her husband’s sudden death and the ways it affected her life. She chronicles the many stages of grief she experienced, and she does it candidly and in a poignant, yet inspiring way. Tidd talks about many pertinent aspects relating to the grieving process, and gives excellent advice to widows, as well as to friends, relatives and associates of widows, emphasizing what to say, what to avoid saying, and how to help. I found her advice very practical and beneficial since I’ve had the awkward experience of feeling at a loss for words when speaking with newly widowed friends. She recites her journey through the beginning stages of widowhood, and shares her experiences and feelings about dating, her in-laws, counseling, anxiety, the widow stigma and much more. This book had a profound effect on me. As I listened to the author recount the sudden loss of her husband it shook me to my core and made me uncomfortable. It forced me to think about what it might be like to lose my own husband, or for him to lose me, a thought I try to avoid. My heart went out to Catherine because she was so young when it happened to her, and it was totally unexpected. Having to plan a funeral, deal with feelings of intense loss, raise three children under the age of five, alone, and become the sole breadwinner after having been out of the workforce for several years would feel overwhelming to anyone. And yet, she eventually confronted her fears, got her life in order and triumphed. Confessions of a mediocre widow was gripping, moving and memorable. If you’re a widow, young or old, this book will likely resonate with you and stir up many raw emotions. If you have not yet come to terms with your widowhood status, this book might be a bit difficult for you to get through, but I can say confidently that it will be informative and affirming as well. For the rest of us, especially those who are married, if you read this book you will look at your spouse in a very different way. I felt the need to make a conscious decision not to take any days that I share with my husband for granted. After reading this book, as regards the title, Confessions of a Mediocre Widow, I’m convinced that the author is anything but.
    • 3/5
      A young wife loses her husband in a motorcycle accident and has to learn to get through the pain the live again. Good advice for anyone dealing with similar loss or understanding those dealing with such a loss. Sad.
    • 5/5
      I'm so glad Catherine wrote this book. In the book she says that to her good writing was like putting a puzzle together. The art was in making someone laugh in one sentence and cry in the next (this is paraphrased, she said it a lot better than that), and she definitely did that.

      The book is so easy to read and pulls you in from the first page. She writes her own memoir in a way that shows her heart, her warmth, her struggle, her journey.

      I have not lost a spouse or child, but after reading this I have an understanding of what she went through, and anyone else in a similar situation.

      I loved the last part, giving advice to widow/ers AND to the people around them.
    • 5/5
      This was a great book. It has me laughing and crying all at the same time. It also made me take a look at how much for granted I take having my husband around. I found her story to be eye opening and I feel that she was able to convey on a least a small scale some of the complex emotions she and her children are living with. I would never wish to be in her shoes but I am so glad she was able to pass this story of hope, courage and understanding along to people.
    • 4/5
      Just when I think, "that's not my experience", Ms. Tidd says something that is so much my experience that I feel like I could have written her words. With a lot of humor and a lot of straightforward honesty, the author shares what she has learned along the journey of losing a spouse and finding a new life. Her chapter on intimacy resonated with me.

    Book preview

    Confessions of a Mediocre Widow - Catherine Tidd

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