Home Depot Widows Club — Grateful, yet Grieving
Taking on responsibilities for home repairs was my husband’s job. He loved going to Home Depot and Lowe’s. Me, not so much. It’s a place that is overwhelming, unfamiliar, and I can never find a person to help me.
One of the first times I went to Home Depot after my husband died was to find a lock/latch for a sliding glass door. I took the broken lock with me and wandered around the store, confused, as I tried to find someone to help me. Eventually, I found a clerk who sent for another person to help me. The clerk helped me find the latch, and I was on my way. Driving home, I was satisfied that I did something entirely out of my comfort zone.
Life is so utterly different after loss. We take on new roles, other identities, and unfamiliar responsibilities. Necessity demands it. Grief defines it. And we don’t have to like it.
But we can adapt, adjust, and accept it over time. One friend of mine is a do-it-yourselfer and watches YouTube videos when it comes to household repairs. She is my hero. I recently watched a YouTube video to find out how to change the battery in my Fire TV Stick remote.
Last week, after church, I made another trip to Home Depot. I’m getting the hang of it now. I took the light bulbs that I needed to replace with me and found a clerk in the lighting aisle immediately. She was able to show me the exact replacement bulbs I needed. While I was being helped, a woman I had met at church that morning walked by, and I greeted her. She recently lost her husband earlier this year. She was now a part of the Home Depot Widows Club.
Life after loss is different. There is no new normal. Each time I have to do an unfamiliar task, I pray, “Okay, Lord, You have to help me with this.” And He does. We are not alone, and we can do hard things.
