The Widows' Path Blog 
 
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Free Zoom Night for Widows
Would you like to know that you're not alone? To find that other women are going through this too?
 
Join me and the others face-to-face on the third Tuesday night of the month at 8:00 Eastern time (7:00 Central; 6:00 Mountain; 5:00 Pacific) This month's date is Tuesday, Nov. 19th.  
 
To join:
1) you don't have to sign up each month. Once you sign up you'll get a Zoom invitation each month ON THAT TUESDAY. If you can't make it, just ignore the email. I'll miss you but hope to catch up with you at the next one.
2) if you haven't ever signed up though, just send me the words FREE ZOOM TIME and I'll confirm it and put you on the list. Email me at hardyferree@gmail.com or use the handy Contact button above.
 
Plan on approximately 60 minutes. At first we'll do some quick introductions, and then we'll bring up some topics that are so good to discuss. What's said in the group stays in the group, and you are welcome to just listen in too.
I hope to see you on the third Tuesday of this month!
 
Ferree "Ree" Hardy
Posted By: 11/4/2024 10:26:08 AM

Save the Date: Next Zoom Time for Widows
Save the date:
Tuesday, November 19
8 pm Eastern time
Email me at hardyferree@gmail.com Just say YES and I'll email the Zoom link to you on the afternoon of the 19th.
 
My heart overflows with the good connections that were made last night. Widows from across the country joined me on a Zoom get-together and found out they were not alone!
 
Some found out that they lived close enough to meet for lunch sometime!
Many had the months of Sept, Oct, and November in common as the time when their husband died. 
A widow in a particularly isolated spot found out that she could find online GriefShare groups.
We heard fun tips for local groups (yes, widows are allowed to have fun!) 
Women shared ways to deal with the isolation and exhaustion of grief: for example, DEER (from GriefShare) =
  • D - drink plenty of water
  • E - eat as well quality food as you can
  • E - exercise
  • R - rest 
We were given permission to practice the fine art of doing NOTHING. We need margins, like a book's white spaces, in our lives. Busy-ness is not a reliable coping skill for grief. Many have tried it, and failed. We must set aside ways to come apart and be still, before we literally come apart!
 
I hope you can join us next month! The wonderful thing is hearing from another woman who truly gets it. And to hear about real life, like Margie who had landed at her home in Florida right before Helene hit and then got walloped again by Hurricane Milton. How did she deal with that as a widow? Well, she did, and she saw God's love and grace at work. Or Dora, who left our Zoom time last month to attend to the birth of a grandchild--and the void of her husband's absence. You can't make this stuff up! Widows are my heroes--they live this day after relentless day--discovering God's personal goodness and love in spite of huge obstacles -and helping each other along the way.  
 
If you are wondering what's next? Which way should I go? How can anyone get through this and find a good life again? I'm here to help. I don't have cookie-cutter answers for you, but neither does God--he's so much more creative, loving and interested in you as a person rather than a problem to solve. You are unique, a materpiece in his eyes, and he will turn your mourning into joy in a way that is beyond our imagination. I can help by providing the following:
  • free monthly Zoom time
  • Widows Path ABCs group on Facebook
  • my monthly Widows Path column in PlainValues magazine
  • Widows Path small groups--a 7-week deep-dive into my book Postcards from the Widow's Path--which starts in January. Email me to get on the waiting list today; decide for sure after Christmas.
  • Individualized life coaching for rebuilding your new season of life
  • And of course, the book itself, Postcards from the Widow's Path which thousands of women have cherished as a guide on their journey.
Just email me at hardyferree@gmail.com for more info.  
 
 
Posted By: Ferree 10/16/2024 4:09:57 PM

The Next Widows Path Zoom Group Sign Up Starts Now
The Group Experience:  Widows Path Postcards Group -  $59.99
 
Do you long to find Purpose, Progress, and Hope for this new chapter of your life called widowhood?  
 
Join me for 7 weekly sessions that will take you from grief to growth, from loss to life as we go through my book, "Postcards from the Widows Path" together. This more than a Bible study--more than information--it's transformation! Better than lunch with friends--it's a banquet of God's amazing love for widows.
 
I know by experience that you are facing one of the hardest challenges a woman will ever face. And I also know that God’s Word in the Book of Ruth can help you like it has so many others. I’ve seen it happen!
 
“Postcards from the Widows Path” is a great guidebook. And now I can help take you to a new level by offering this 7-week interactive Zoom group using “Postcards…”. Join the next cohort today and discover the extraordinary things God does for widows, including y-o-u. Better than a weekend away from your worries, this is 7-weeks of wonderful fellowship tailored to your unique path. 
 
TIME:  60-80 minute sessions will be on Thursdays at 8:00 pm (Eastern. That's 7:00 Central, 6:00 Mountain; 5:00 Pacific) 
DATES:  May 2 - June 13
PLACE:  On Zoom. 
Group size is very limited to allow for in-depth discussion. Questions? Click the Contact button above. 
Registration: $59.99. To register, click here for the registration form. (Please don't be confused, the time on the registration form is wrong. Our meeting time will be 8 p.m. Eastern time, not 11 a.m). Payment isn't due until after your registration is confirmed, and then you have a choice of payment options: mail a personal check, Zelle through your bank, or a PayPal invoice sent to your email that you can pay with a credit card. Money-back guarantee if you don't agree that you've seen real progress, refreshment and renewal!
Book: $14.99, if you don't already have one, please order on my website to get a brand new copy directly from me. I don't sell on Amazon.  
 
I hope our paths will cross,
Ferree
 
Posted By: 4/8/2024 9:43:46 AM

Widows Conference in Texas
 
Are you in Texas or near enough to Dallas airport?
My friends at A Widows Might are holding their 8th annual event! What a great opportunity!  
The following is from their website so be sure to click the link below to get all the info and to register. I have a daughter getting married that week, but I hope you can go! 
 
WE WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO JOIN US AT OUR 2024 AWM HOPE™ CONFERENCE!
APRIL 16 – 18, 2024
REGISTRATION FOR THIS YEAR'S AWM HOPE™ CONFERENCE IS NOW OPEN.
 
On APRIL 16 - 18, 2024 we will be hosting our eighth annual AWM Hope™ Conference/retreat. Our theme this year will be focused on being Anchored in Hope as we continue to fulfill God's purpose for our lives. As with our other AWM Hope™ Conferences/retreats, there will be great times of worship and fellowship, interspersed with valuable information geared towards helping us grow and move forward in our journeys.
 
LOCATION: We will be returning to the beautiful, serene lakeside Camp Copass in Denton, Texas, just 25 minutes from the Dallas/Fort Worth airport.
Camp Copass
8200 E McKinney St
Denton, TX 76208
 
COST:
We are excited to announce that, thanks to our generous sponsors, we are once again able to offer a reduced cost. Our three-day AWM Hope™ Conference costs include the three-day event, deluxe accommodations for two nights, and all meals. The Early Bird rate (until March 1, 2024) is $325 double occupancy or $450 single occupancy. (All rooms have two queen size beds).
 
WHY ATTEND?
It is incredibly helpful to be in community with other Christian women, walking through a similar journey of widowhood, who are seeking to honor and glorify God with their lives. In just a few short days you will form friendships that will encourage and strengthen you for years to come!
 
 
 
Posted By: 2/22/2024 2:57:09 PM

Hope for A Lonely, Silent Night
Well---deep breath---it's almost Christmas Eve.
 
It seems like some have been dreading this time, carrying it like a heavy barbell for months. For others, grief is so recent, it feels like the reindeer have trampled your heart instead of your rooftop. And some are choosing to acknowledge that although life is different, in many ways it's not diminished; they see surprising insights, miracles and unexpected kindnesses.
 
But for all who grieve, the spectre of loneliness stands at attention, waiting and ready to step alongside and wrap its icy fingers over our eyes so that all we see is darkness, all we hear is our own heartbeat. If loneliness is within reach of you today, I urge you to focus on all that God has given us this Christmas instead.
 
Think of at least three things, and be thoughtful about it since they might not come to mind right away. Email them to me if you'd like; I, for one, always love to hear from you; when you write to me because it's also a gift to yourself. Like a lifesaver, good words can keep you from going down.
 
Christmas is all about Emmanuel---Our God Is With Us. That's the good news of Christmas Eve. And as you consider and wonder about all the why's and why not's of this Christmas, may the mysterious hope of God reaching down to us with His most precious gift become a sacred fragrance of worship and renewal.
 
May God grant you kindness and rest along your path, dear widow,
 
Ferree
 
 
Posted By: 12/23/2023 12:58:49 PM

The Price of Love - my story on a podcast
Well, this was something! My first podcast! How'd I do? I'd love to hear your feedback, but more importantly, I'd love to hear your story. Let's talk sometime!
Scroll down to Podcast 75 for my story, hosted by KaryAnn Newby-Wilcox
 
Posted By: Ferree 11/27/2023 8:28:53 PM

A Quiet, Steady Voice to Help You Pick Up the Pieces
Have you suffered loss, grieved well, and now stand ready to rebuild your life?
 
Or . . . maybe you don't even know where to even start.
 
Contact me.  
 
I help widows, and others who have endured loss, with coaching tailored to their personal needs. You matter to God, and you matter to me. I, too, have known . . .

  • the profound loneliness and heartache of widowhood
  • the secondary losses of career and my family
  • the complications, setbacks, and crises of relocation
  • rejection
  • loss of faith
  • and betrayal
God has helped me. "He comforts us in all our sorrows so that we can comfort others." I can help you discover your God-given inner strengths and resources for rebuilding your life.
 
I’ve been blogging for widows since 2010 and my book, “Postcards from the Widows’ Path—Gleaning Hope and Purpose from The Book of Ruth,” has helped thousands. I write magazine columns, help start widow groups, and lead my own groups. I help with widow retreats like Widows Link and Widows Journey. I have a B.A. from Moody Bible Institute and was a pastor's wife for over twenty years before my first husband died.
 
But touching one life at a time is what matters most to me. That's my greatest strength: I'm a quiet, steady voice when your world spins out into chaos.
 
Let's talk. Please contact me for a free consultation. I’d love to hear your story and talk with you. There's life after death, believe me. Together we can begin to discover it and tap into your new hope, purpose, and joy. 
 
 
Posted By: Ferree 9/21/2023 12:15:13 PM

Comments:
F
Ferree Hardy11/29/2023 2:18:55 PM
Thank you Sue! It's been a struggle this year, I've felt very scattered, but this finally feels like I'm getting some traction. Can't wait to see you in March at Widows Journey Retreat!

S
Suzanne Bowles11/28/2023 3:06:06 PM
So glad you are back online! Your various ministries are such a blessing for widows.

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