A multimedia connection to one woman’s stories of love, death and dating… with children in tow.
Your spouse has gone and died on you?
How dare they!
Are you:
- Up to your ears in Kleenex?
- Ready to deck the next person who sweetly asks, “How are you?”
- Reticent to admit that the casserole the thoughtful neighbor dropped off went straight into the disposal?
Do you:
- Often find yourself thinking things that you’d like to express…but are just too polite, shy or exhausted from crying to do so?
I am here to help.
I am your beacon of sunlight. Sugarcoated in sarcasm. Here to assure you that your generally pissy attitude is totally acceptable. Now put down that pen and stop writing those ridiculous thank you notes. Grab a glass if wine or a bowl of Ben & Jerry’s…and read on.
My name is Sandi Amorello
I’ve been a widow since 2002, the mother of three children since 1998 and a Girl Scout Dropout since 1971. I have been irreverent since birth. Along with those impressive credentials, I am also a writer and an artist.
I am not the product of some marketing genius’s imagination. I am real. My stories are real. These words are from the heart…not the editor’s desk. That is why you may even find an occasional (GASP!) typo. You will most certainly encounter a few dangling participles. Consider yourself forewarned.
Losing my husband Drew to pancreatic cancer propelled me headfirst on a journey into grief, single parenting, and, perhaps most tragic of all… midlife courtship. I have become a reluctant expert on love, death and dating. The Irreverent Widow Project is my way of sharing my story. It’s part of my own healing process, and I hope it will help you to heal, as well. I want to help you to laugh when you don’t think there is anything left to laugh about. I want to inspire you to reach for the stars…to reconnect with your passions, follow your heart and recreate your reality. Or maybe just help you to make it through another day.
There are free stories for you to download, listen to and read online. There are books, related art reproductions, evolving workshops, presentations and an exhibit that will be touring the country by way of various organizations.
Just to be clear…
I HAVE NOT:
- Invented a speed-grieving program.
- Seen the face of a religious figure in my croissant.
- Received a Ph.D. in the study of grief from Harvard University.
I HAVE:
- Watched the man I love breathe his last breath.
- Worn sexy black lingerie to the funeral.
- Burned the thank you notes.
- Hidden in my own attic so I could engage in various vices and shout obscenities at my late husband for abandoning us.
- Had my profile viewed about 8,000 times on match.com before deciding to call it a day.
Being widowed has not been fun. But it has been pretty funny at times. In between the tears, that is. One day you’re going along, trying to survive the day-to-day challenges of raising three little children with a man you’ve loved forever. The next day you’re logged onto match.com at one a.m., getting emails from men who want to drink merlot on the beach with you and give you a back rub. Men with screen names (that they chose on purpose!) like “the Gregster” and “BetrayedAgain.” Men who are not your husband. Men who might have restraining orders against them. All I can say is, thank God I have a sense of humor.
Our society is just plain awful at dealing with loss. It’s all around us. It comes in different forms, and it permeates our lives. But not many of us want to address it…and, most certainly, even fewer want to tell the truth about the whole experience. That parts of it are painfully funny. That laughter and tears go together.
I have been widowed for over 5 years now, and I am here to tell you, I still cry. And I still laugh. A lot. And I still cannot find a truly decent date. But it’s all okay. Because every tear, every laugh, every mediocre kiss is part of the healing process. And, eventually, there is more laughter than there are tears.
Now that I no longer have tissue lint clinging to my eyelashes, I’m ready to share my story with the world.
Go to WORDS to read, download and listen to my stories. To see the artwork that illustrates my stories, go to ART and to EXHIBITS.
In a shopping mood? Go to YARD SALE! and check out cool stuff.
Be part of my story.
Learn about THE IRREVERENT WIDOW FOUNDATION.
