A Widow's Odyssey

Janet and Dick Crawford worked together in their small veterinary practice in Wisconsin for thirty years. They raised five children, grew tons of vegetables, marched for Civil Rights, saw a thousand movies, and traveled to more than fifty countries. The year Dick died was the fifty-sixth year of their marriage— a partnership of opposites, and a honeymoon that lasted through both the rough and smooth years. In this memoir, author Janet Jackson Crawford narrates the devastating mental and physical experiences of becoming a widow. She describes her odyssey through the “valley of death” and her methods of recovery and rejuvenation. She tells how she learned to feel her emotions, acknowledge her pain, resolve her loss, and live again. A personal account of the grief and loneliness of surviving the death of a mate, A Widow’s Odyssey offers an idea of what to expect when your lifelong partner dies. Crawford provides insight as well as suggestions to help overcome feelings of helplessness, sadness, and loneliness. This memoir helps those left behind cope as they struggle to overcome the heartbreak.