Everything I want to say sounds so cliché. How wonderful you have made it through the storm and come out on the other side. Hugs! Betty

If your Sons see that he makes you happy, they will happily accept him... loneliness is not fun, so go for it... best wishes

Good for you Sylvia. I hope you found the one for you.
A poem for you to think about:
https://www.dailystrength.org/journals/counting-life

So happy for you Hope things work out. What good news to hear.

I hope it is a positive new beginning for you. Take your time and go slowly. As far as your sons, it's a 50-50 chance how they will react. I have two sons and initially one was all for me going into a new relationship while the other was totally against it. That's not uncommon. I remember a divorced friend telling me when she told her son she had begun a new relationship that he flipped out - despite the fact he was 35 years old and his parents had been divorced for 15 years! You just never know....

I am glad you are feeling good and hope it turns out fine. Just remember that even if it doesn't last, it's probably a good and necessary step in your rebuilding of your life. A lot of us have a hard time readjusting to dating again. You might also want to check out the member group here called "Hopeful Hearts" - they can give you extra support on some of the issues that come up. My co-CL, Shrn, is one of the Admins for that, so you would be in good hands.

Love and Hugs,
Martha

Thank you, everyone, for your thoughtful replies. I will check out Hopeful Hearts!

Hi Sylvia! I left a reply for you over at Hopeful Hearts!
I'm so happy for you!!!!
;)
Darcie

Hi Darcie! Thank you so mu Has!

Thank you so much, Darcie!

That is so awesome! Someone told me not long ago when I am ready he will send me someone. That is how I think about it now, my love will send me someone when the time is right. I am coming up on a year on the 29th and I am still not ready, but who knows, maybe someday I will. As far as your sons, it is 50-50. When I divorced, one son was fine and encouraged me to date and the other said I was disrespecting him. Just be careful with them. I wish you much happiness and I believe your Steve in Heaven sent you another Steve.

Hi Sylvia. Congratulations. It's good to be in love again. I can only speak about myself, and I speak the truth, but my good judgment went out the window even when I thought I was better. And I wear my heart on my sleeve. Honestly, I fell instantly in love with every woman that even hinted I might be the right one for them. I had to learn some lessons the hard way, and then you have to decide for yourself whether risks are worth it. I've been scammed, or close to it, several times. I hope I learned from it. I didn't give up on love though. It just seems to find you when you aren't looking for it. While your grief may not be as intense, your time of loss may be a more powerful magnet than you realize. I'm being real here. I got really lonely. Companionship is a nice thing. It is not until the loneliness is gone, and you've come to enjoy being with yourself simply because you've taken the time to figure out who you are, that's when we're ready for a long committed relationship. Again, can only speak from my experiences. I can't deny that I enjoy a woman's company, whether I'm dating or exclusive. Just seems I've discovered a lot just by trial and error. Mainly errors, but fun nonetheless. I enjoy getting to know people. Almost always. But I am now convinced more than ever, if you don't have that solid base of friendship, it just won't last. Nothing wrong with it, but you leave yourself nothing to fall back on when the you find yourselves in life's inevitable valleys. Just keep the permanent option off the table for a good long time. Make sure you are all healed. Odd thing about this grief is that we think we're fine until we look back on it, and realize how we we're not nearly as fine as we thought. Happened to me several times. And for me, it seems my early relationships were short term. And as time went on, the relationships got longer, but still came to an end. Yeah, me, I'm in no big hurry anymore. I'm good with courting a best friend, because I know if it continues long enough, we'll both know either way. After all, we would be best friends. Congrats again! Scottie