And Then There Was One: An Emotionally Raw Journey Through Spousal Grief

by Mary Echols

Overview

“This is my journey, an extremely personal and intimate journey through the land of grief after the death of my husband. These words and this story were never penned with the intention of being read by others. They were written for me and only me, but here we are. What lies ahead of you in these pages is an unadulterated and emotionally raw view of my life during my time of grieving. I have decided to share this time of my life with you in hopes that it might ease your journey and that you may know that you are not alone in your walk thru the myriad emotions and everyday challenges that come with loss and grief. Most importantly, I want you to know that at the end of the journey through the dark land of grief there awaits a new sun shining in the uncharted territory of the life that awaits you.”

—Mary Echols

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781632695024
Publisher:	Deepriver Books
Publication date:	09/26/2019
Pages:	122
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.29(d)

About the Author

Mary Echols is mom to a son, daughter, and two step-sons. She is a retired RN who spent many of her working years as a travel nurse, being licensed in seven states and working in hospitals as small as twenty-five beds up to a thousand. After the death of her husband, she went through a very complicated grief that led her to become a certified Christian Life Coach for spousal grief and loss to help others through the grieving process.

Table of Contents

Introduction

And Then There Was One . . .

After Everyone’s Gone

My Mind’s Gone

The Hardest Parts

Regrets, Depression, and the Hand of God

The Four-Letter Word “Widow,” and the Beginning of Healing

The Other Side of Grief

Editorial Reviews

As a widow of almost 18 months, I very much appreciated having this book to read. Although every circumstance is unique, there seems to be a great deal of similarities as to the grief process. This author nailed so many feelings that I have had, and others that were completely opposite of my experience. One thing is for certain, no one is truly ever ready to let go of their lifelong partner.

In this instance the husband was found very unexpectedly, deceased upon the author coming home. I can hardly imagine what that must be like. I was given the news that my husband had anywhere from 30 days to a year to live. He lived for 13 months. I retired early to spend his last time on earth with him. I KNEW he was dying, and yet, when he did, I was still in a state of shock. When people heard that he had passed, I kept hearing, " Well, you knew this was coming". Yes, I guess I did; we are all closer to our deaths one day at a time. That certainly doesn't mean I was ready. Not for the sights we had shared, not to hear our favorite songs, not to hold onto his pillow and try to smell his special smell, not to sit alone in the church pew every Sunday, not to go to small group ALONE, not to be hit with the mountain of paperwork that one's spouse's death creates, not to eat alone, not to try to comfort his family when I couldn't even comfort his beloved dog. I was sure that I couldn't stay in our home and have to come home every night to him not being here. But, he wanted me to stay here! How can I not do what he wanted?

Time doesn't heal us, but it does change our perception of things. And Then There Was One was a great help to me. It helped me know that the feelings I have are not good or bad, but Normal. I highly recommend this book, especially to those who are early in their grief. I wish I had had it sooner!

—Christina Duncan, widow

From the Publisher