A community of peers created by the Soaring Spirits Loss Foundation

Arnie (New Normal) said… Hi, I am so sorry for your loss, yet I am glad you found us. You will find some great help here on the site. The relationships you will build with all of the great people here. We are all on the other side of life now and only we can really understand how you feel. I am on chat quiet often and it is scary and overwhelming at times in the beginning. I would like to offer a bit of assistance when you are ready to use the chat room.
1. I always advise you to watch for a bit, the room gets busy sometimes is hard to follow at first.
2. You will see some joking and even laughter, you will also see tears and breakdowns. The people here are here for support and to be supported by peers.
3. Looking at the chat you will see that the left window has a sliding bar that tells you who is online (they may be on another part of the site though)
4. If you click on a name in the side bar this should open up a private chat or PC as we call it.
5. I f you receive a PC a red # will show under the main lobby, with the name and icon of the person it is from or if you sent it to someone
6. Your first entry:
This is hit or miss, it really depends on when you jump in. If lots of folks are chatting you can easily get missed so don't give up. I recommend just saying "Hi, I am new and give whatever info you want" (hi I am Arnie From NJ and today I am 3 months and 3 days out) this way if others are from NJ they may want to know more.
7. BE READY:
Ok once you do go into the lobby be ready as the questions are needed and they are sometimes gentile. However sometimes the questions fly at you. Please take your time here, as if this loss is new for you this may open you up emotionally, and it is normal to feel this and from what i am told a needed part of trying to begin to live again.
8. Questions you may be asked are: How long has it been? Where do you live? How did it happen? Do you have a support group or family? These seem like easy questions but we never know what will trigger tears.
9. Most people on the chat are women as of now but the men that are involved are very respectful and sometimes fun.
10. Remember almost no one knew each other until they came here.
11. Good luck and I sent you a friend request, lets face it near or far we need support, and with so many from around the world there is almost always someone on.
I hope this long winded letter helps you in the beginning and again SO SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS.
Sincerely Sorry,
Arnie / arthur09265

Welcome to our community.... I hope we can keep you company on your journey ahead. Please look around a bit and read this basic introduction to the site. You can find more information about how the community works under "Help!" in the navigation bar, and we'll send you a few newsletters with tips and ideas in the coming weeks. If you need a little more help, go to the Home page and look in the right hand column to see the link to a "Help Desk" form.
We all use the site differently, but we hope you feel comfortable sharing among us in the coming days, weeks, and months.
Big hug!
Supa
site founder and admin
Dear Susanz I'm so sorry for the loss that brought you here, but very glad you found us. This is a wonderful community filled with kind...caring...friendly people. You will find peace comfort and understanding here during your journey. Welcome!
Joyce said… Welcome Susan: I'm sorry for your loss but I'm glad you found your way to this site. I know you will find the same comfort and understanding here at Widowed Village that I have. In the beginning I just read the blogs and posts and lurked in chat. Post and join us in chat when you feel comfortable. It is nice to be among people who "Get It".
So sorry for the reason that you’re here but glad you’ve joined us. You’ll find insight, understanding and support here at Widowed Village. We’re traveling the same road together some further down the road than others. Join a group when you’re ready to get better connected. Participate in a forum and/or chat anytime. If you have questions, feel free to ask. There is always someone around willing to help.
Widowed Village connects peers with each other for friendship and sharing. The moderators, administrators, and others involved in running this site are not professionals.
Please don't interpret anything you read here as medical, legal, or otherwise expert advice. Don't disregard any expert's advice or take any action as a result of what you read here.
We're friends, not doctors, financial or legal professionals, and we're not "grief experts." But we are here, and we've been "there."
© 2013 Created by Supa Dupa Fresh.