Hi Wendy,
I know what you're saying. I swear, if I didn't have my dogs to talk to I don't know what I would do. I have to watch when I'm out becasue I've developed the habit of thinking out loud, which translates to this crazy woman is talking to herself. I should just wear a headset everywhere I go and people will think i'm on the phone ,

Everyone here says the same thing, there is no support out there. Maybe we should all start support groups in our own towns and reach out to the other widows/ ers that are as lonely as we are. DS has been so wonderful. I should look into getting something started. Take care, hugs, Kathy

Weekends can be bad. We used to do exciting things like go to the library, go grocery shopping and when we got home he'd cook. Now I have to eat my own cooking which only adds insult to injury. Of course I have things to do and can call friends but it really isn't the same. I do think a lot of my friends continue to call but they need their "couple time" too and I can't begrudge them that. I sometimes go to bed with a book and my 3 dogs! It may not sound exciting but sometimes it works for me. Just know that we are together in spirit! I like the idea of forming local groups but I am not sure how to go about it. I'm not interested in a dating group.

Loneliness is a state of mind I think. I can be out in a crowd of people and still feel lonely. I get out a lot and am not home alone that much but I still feel lonely because everyone else is a couple. When I go out with girlfriends they always talk about their husbands and what they have planned and I think yes I would love to be doing that also but it is a couples thing. Sometimes I feel like I am swimming up stream to what I don't know maybe I will find out when I get there. Diane

Oh how I hear what you are all saying. Like Patricia, I sometimes think he is just in another room watching tv and then I remember he isn't. Sometimes at night I hear him call me and when the phone rings or a car turns in my driveway, the thought that must be him passes through my mind and then I again remember. I sit at the computer way too much. I keep watching my emails for a note from a friend. The phone rings so seldom. I go to meetings and have coffee with women from the Legion but my old friends seem to be busy all the time and never drop in or call.I have made an internet connection with a widower, but it is only email at this stage. I so miss having someone to discuss things with, because as much as I talk to my cats and dogs, they have no opinions on anything and never talk to me, they only listen. I find myself starting conversations with strangers in the grocery store parking lot or standing looking at yarn in walmart. Human contact is so precious and I realize how I took his prescence forgranted. I so miss him

Wendy, I too know the feeling of loneliness. I do not have any children. My family members are all very busy living their lives. So I am pretty much on my own. I too have a little dog that gets lots of hugs and that I chat with often. I am retired, so try to have somewhere to go or someone to see every day. The evenings are the hardest for me. I do journal a lot and read some. I have a upport group that I go to and that helps too. Take care, Margaret

Loneliness is a terrible condition that most of us will never outgrow. Younger women may remarry, but for senior citizens many of us don't want to marry again. So, I have decided that I must evaluate my life, my hopes, hobbies, things I like that bring me joy. Nothing will replace the joy my Joe brought me, but there are other joys that I am thankful that I have. This past week-end I went camping alone in a very safe place. I planned for things to keep me busy and entertained. I spent most of the day outside (was gorgeous, breezy, warm). Ate a simple supper and watched a movie on my DVD player. It was "Cast Away" where a man was shipwrecked for 4 years on an island. The whole movie is about how he coped with being alone. He had to be innovative. He longed for human companionship, someone to talk with. There was a basketball that floated from the wreck to his island and he painted a face on it with blood from a cut he had and named him "Wilson" (the manufacturer's brand name). He developed a relationship with Wilson and talked to him as if he was a person, even carrying on a conversation with him speaking the part for Wilson. Back to us - we need to have relationships, living beings to talk with. Our pets are great! Always there for us, never angry, always glad to see us. Anyway, loneliness lives in our homes and it will never be the same. I feel your pain, everyone. I am lonely, too.