💛 Widow to Wellness: Carrying Love in a New Way

July 16th would have been our 42nd wedding anniversary. It’s an odd feeling not quite grief as I knew it in those early years, but not nothing either. It’s softer now, more like a ripple that passes through. It's love, carried forward in a new way.

I can still remember that day so clearly. It was sweltering hot, the kind of humid New England heat that clings to everything. And there he was, standing tall in that black suit he wore just for me. Our wedding was simple no grand production, no elaborate frills. Just love. Just beauty. Just us. It was everything I’d dreamed of, and he made sure it happened just the way I envisioned. That’s who Jesse was thoughtful, giving, steady, and full of quiet strength.

We were married nearly 26 years. Real love. True through and through. The kind of love that doesn’t fade just because time keeps moving forward.

He gave me so much as a husband, a best friend, a lover, a partner in parenting, and a compass during some of the hardest seasons of life. His children adored him. His coworkers respected him. His friends leaned on him. Jesse had a way of showing up for people without needing attention or applause. To be loved by someone like that changes you. It changes how you love, how you live, how you move through the world.

He’s been gone 16 years now. I was 45 when he passed. Now I’m 61. And yes I still feel it. Because grief doesn’t mean you stop living. It just means you carry love in a new way.

People say they ‘lost a piece of their heart,’ and I understand what they mean. But truthfully? I don’t feel like I lost it. That piece of my heart is still here. It just lives in me differently now.

I see it in the faces of our children. I see it in my grandsons boys who never met him but somehow know him, because his stories live on. His laugh. His quirks. The way he said certain words. We speak of him often, not in sadness, but in gratitude. His memory shows up in quiet ways a saying, a song, a moment that suddenly feels like him. That’s the beauty of real love. It doesn’t leave. It evolves.

It reminds me of that song from the musical Wicked, For Good.
“Because I knew you, I have been changed for good.”
That lyric says so much. Every person we love becomes a part of us, etched into our soul. And when they’re gone, we don’t stop being shaped by them. We just learn how to carry their light forward. Jesse gave me so much. And even now, all these years later… I’m still growing because of what we had.

So if you’re holding grief too, I want you to know this:
You don’t have to hide it. You don’t have to move on to prove anything.
You get to move with it. At your own pace.
It doesn’t mean you stop living.
It just means you carry love in a new way.

That’s what Widow to Wellness means to me.
It’s not about forgetting. It’s about becoming.
It’s about honoring the love that shaped you, while giving yourself permission to keep becoming more of who you’re meant to be.

I share these parts of my life because I know we’re not meant to carry grief alone. If you’re here reading this, please know you’re welcome here, always.

PS: If my story resonates and you’re wondering what your next chapter could look like, I’d love to hold space for you. I offer a free 15–20 minute clarity call no expectations, no pressure. Just an honest, gentle conversation about where you’re at and what you’re hoping for next.

Click here to book your Clarity Call.

In support,
Claudette Eames 🌻
Entrepreneur, Mentor, and Certified Mental Wellness Coach