Learn how this television chef and blogger used humor to help her navigate life as a widow.
My guest Laurie Burrows Grad is a cookbook author and television chef who began blogging about grief, widowhood, and survival after the death of her husband Peter. She shares how she used humor to help her navigate life as a widow and offers some practical tips for others facing widowhood. Laurie is the author of the book The Joke’s Over, You Can Come Back Now: How this Widow Plowed Through Grief and Survived. Learn more about her work at her website:
This episode includes:
- How Laurie felt demoted socially after the death of her husband
- How writing blogs helped Laurie get through her grief
- Why you have to get through the pain of grief in order to come out on the other side
- Laurie’s experiences with grief counselors and with Our House Grief Support Center
- How finding meaning within loss can help you feel better
- How Laurie has used humor in her writing and throughout her grief process
- The challenges of trying to date as a widow in later life
- The trauma of experiencing a loved one’s death while traveling in an unfamiliar place and how the Neptune Society helped
- Top ten things not to say to someone grieving and what to say instead
- How cooking for others was also helpful for Laurie in her grief
- How to get through the holidays and anniversaries by preparing in advance
- The most important things Laurie has learned on her grief journey
Links mentioned in this episode:
- Learn more and sign up for Grief Coach ($10 discount for 1 year)
- Our House Grief Support Center
- The Neptune Society
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