When I got married 8 years ago, I never even considered the possibility that I would one day be raising my 7 year old daughter and my 5 year old son all alone. My husband was unexpectedly killed in a car accident and our lives changed forever. I had always enjoyed being a stay-at-home mom and homeschooling the children, but now I had to enter the workforce to support my little family. I had to put my children in public school so I could go to work. Loneliness is an emotion I feel quite often. The children have suffered also. My daughter says she hardly gets to see me anymore, and my son has been “acting out” in school. Sometimes I don’t know what to do.
But things are getting better. I have learned to ask for help. People at my [assembly] have been wonderful during this trying time. For instance, recently, a nice couple with 3 children similar in age to mine invited my children to see a movie and get ice cream. My children came home bubbly and excited and all 3 of us seemed to be in a better mood.
I stopped feeling guilty. It was not my fault that my husband was killed. I am doing everything I can to hold my family together. I know that I can never be both mom and dad to the children, but I can try to be the best mom I can. I learned to stop being resentful and feeling sorry for myself. After my husband was gone, I often would fall into a slump of ,”Why did this happen to me?” So things are looking up.
If you are going through a similar situation, realize that Yahweh will remain faithful to you as long as you remain faithful to him. Nurture your faith. Don’t forsake the assembling of yourself with believers of like faith. Pray often and forgive yourself when you make mistakes. Spend lots of time with your children and let them know you are there for them. Talk about things as a family. Your children may feel the need to open up about difficult feelings they are experiencing. Things will get better!