JudyF418

Hi to anyone interested. I'm going to check the YWBB Chicago Dinner Facebook page to see the consensus. As of now, it will have to be October at the earliest. Hope to see some of you. Judy

My late husband had pancreatic cancer, and we lived with he last 3 1/2 years of his last life with the knowledge that his time was probably limited We knew each other since high school and married in our mid 20's. He wanted me to go on, and I was so lonely after he died. I started looking at online dating sites, and almost 2 years after he died, I "winked"' at a kind looking man. We chatted on the site, had an in person coffee date, started seeing each other regularly After dating for 6 months, I knew I was in love with him. That was 5 years ago. We married 2 years ago. I found that I had to "open my heart" to love again. I love him dearly. Judy

Hi, When i was first widowed in 2009, a fellow widowed person suggested that I look at YWBB which was the first version of this online chat board for widowed people. I met a lot of new friends there, and we tried to have regular dinners, usually once a month at North Suburban Chicago area restaurants. One person would volunteer to be the "host" for the evening, making the reservation, making name tags for the attendees (with our board names so we would know who we were talking face to face to), and greeting the attendees as they arrived, usually in the front of the restaurant. When I was first widowed, I felt like a "pariah" with all of my married friends. I found that the ONLY people who understood what it was like to be widowed was OTHER widowed people. So the widowbago dinners were essential to the "healing" of my broken heart. Dinners are places where we greet friends, meet new friends, cry, laugh, tell stories. ALL is acceptable. It was hard to try to go out as a newly and not so newly "single" person, cuz it was so easy to remember my late husband, and I could cry at a sound, a smell, a song.. OTHER WIDOWED people were there to just BE present to me, and I was and am present to other widowed people. Some of us were "newer" widows, some longer time widows. It's time to get the ball rolling again. So is anyone interested? We tried to organize a dinner in April, and we did get together, but it was a small group. As time passed, some of us kind of drifted away, and we formed a Facebook page for the Chicago dinners. If you are on Facebook and want to check out upcoming possible dinners, go to YWBB Chicago Dinner Group Or you can message me, or reply to this posting. Thanks, Looking forward to meeting you.