Lewis

Thanks for the reply Laura! I have been crazy busy and did not get a chance to check on this.

Hi Jeudi, I have created a discussion on how to create a blog!

Part of the new website design enables everyone to have their own personal blog. There is just a few steps to create your blog. If you hover your mouse over the pencil icon in the top right of this website, you will see a popup that says "Create new content." If you click on the pencil icon you will see the options: Topic and Event. Now go to the Blog page by clicking Browse, then Blogs. Here you will see the option to "Create a blog." Click the "Create a blog" button to enter your blog information. Entering a blog name is required and you have the option to add a description. After you enter the info, click Continue. Next, go back and click the pencil icon at the top right of the website. Now you will see the additional option to create a "Blog Entry." Select "Blog Entry" to begin your first blog. You will need to add a title and content. Once you have entered a title and content, click "Submit Entry." Now go back to the Blogs page by clicking "Browse" then "Blogs." Now you will see your blog listed!

Thanks Jeudi! I will get info on how to work the blogs tomorrow. It's late and I am worn out tonight. ZZzzzz....

Okay, Maureen, now it is fixed for real.

Maureen, please check your email. It should be fixed now. To be anonymous you have to check the box when you login. See the attachment. Let me know what else needs to be corrected!

I’ll get you fixed up Maureen. I just have to remember where those settings are

Everything went as planned and the new design is up and running. I hope the advances in this new design will enhance the forum for each of you. Take a look around and let me know if you have questions. Also, check out the site on your mobile devices!

It has been eight and a half years and I still vividly remember my last night with Kathy. It was a Monday night and we had stayed up until 10pm practicing a trumpet/piano duet for church, where we were scheduled to perform the next Sunday. Our music was echoing throughout the house and keeping the kids awake as they lay in bed. We were on our Christmas vacation so there was no need for an early bedtime. We practiced for a bit and then headed to bed happy that we were able to get a good practice completed. That night I remember Kathy rolling over in bed at exactly 2am and pressing her back up against mine with a feeling of love that I will never forget, as that was the last moment that I had with Kathy alive. At 6:30am I was in a state of sleep where my eyes were closed but I was aware of my surroundings. Kathy had made an exhaling noise that sounded exceptionally weird. I abruptly opened my eyes and tapped her arm just hard enough to see if she would respond, but not hard enough to wake her up. I just wanted to verify that nothing weird really happened. No response. I tapped a little harder but she still did not react. Then I pushed her to wake her up and it felt like I was pushing dead weight. Panic struck and I jumped out of bed so that I could see exactly what was happening! Immediately I noticed that her eyes had a glassy look to them and she definitely was not breathing. I grabbed the phone to call 911, then picked her up and placed her on the floor to begin CPR. It only took the ambulance 10 minutes to get to my house and the first responders continued CPR for over 30 minutes until Kathy’s heart began a soft beat on its own. At that point she was transferred to the hospital where she never gained consciousness and did not survive through the next day. I stumbled through life over the next few weeks feeling like I was a glass window, shattered by hurricane winds, and was being blown in every direction. Being left with five young kids forced me to keep the daily schedule mostly intact, but internally my heart was paralyzed from grief. I was referred to the previous young widow forum and I found a sense of comfort from my new club members. Night times became more tolerable as I read through posts and realized that I was grieving normally. Through this forum I have met many widow/ers, several of which became my lifeline while I was grieving the hardest. It is my hope and prayer that you find this forum as comforting and helpful as I did. Sincerely, Lewis

REMINDER! The new website will be live tomorrow! The current site will be taken down late tonight around 11pm CST and I will enable the new site as fast as possible. I expect the new site to be live by 1am.

Hello Everyone, I just wanted to remind you that the new website will be live on May 1st. Lewis

Thanks Forgottenwife!

I am excited to announce that we have a new design for Widda.com that will go live on May 1st! The new design will offer many new options with the best being mobile support. Your login will be the same username/password combo that you use now. There is a different look to the site but will contain all the same data you see now plus more available options. More updates to come…

That's awesome Maureen! Congratulations!!

Thanks Sojourner!

I thought I would share this video from church with those here who are not connected to me on facebook. I had asked my pastor if I could do this solo sometime at a church function. He thought it would be a great idea to have me perform it during the church services along with the video introducing the solo.

I am currently working on search engine ranking. I think that will be our best form of advertising. That said, we are getting a good amount of traffic. It appears that many people choose to read rather than post.

Sorry for the outage. An autoupdate caused the problem. Everything is corrected and we are good to go! Lewis

Wow, that made me tear up. My late wife donated her lungs to a young woman with CF. I am fortunate to have met this sweet lady and her family. I am even facebook friends with them now. It was a rough decision to donate my wife's organs only because I didn't want to believe she had died. I am so happy to have given this gift of life and actually see the happiness in the eyes of the recipient. It is great to hear that your niece is doing well! I wish her many happy years to come! Lewis

I do the hosting through godaddy. I have been pretty happy with them over the years. I used to host with rackspace as they have great service but are kind of expensive. I'll check these out that you linked. Thanks!

Thank you for trusting me with your donation!

Thank you everyone! Thank you!! I have made the payment for two more years of hosting! I am amazed at the quick response and offers to make sure I received enough money! With baby #6 on the way, I really appreciate the help on this hosting bill as it definitely frees up some cash for baby supplies!

Thank you!!!

I wanted to thank everyone that has contributed money to the Widda.org website to help keep it up and running. I wanted to let you know that the hosting fee is approaching in March. If you would like to help me pay the current hosting bill, now would be the time to send money. I am needing just over $400 more to help pay for two years of hosting. If you are able and willing to help out, I appreciate your generosity very much! That said, please understand that Widda.org will remain free and is here to help support each of us in our grief. If more than $400 is given, the extra money will go toward improving Widda.org. Click this link if you would like to donate. http://widda.org/donate.html

Sorry for the outage! One of the site files became corrupted. I was able to pull a backup and get the site back online. All posts were saved as there was no data loss. I hope and pray that today brings healing and happy memories to you! Lewis