Bo Stern

 

As the year winds down, I’ve been sifting through the memories of 2016, and got stuck on this one today:

 

 

I started this year worrying that I would try to outrun grief.  This was a silly fear because it turns out sorrow is pretty light on its feet – it has a way of moving into all the seasons of life.  This summer, I attended a wedding with a friend.  It was a wedding Steve would have been really happy about and as I sat there in that magical venue, witnessing the obvious love between the bride and groom, I was overwhelmed with happiness and said to my friend, “I wish we could text a picture of this to Steve in heaven.”  We laughed a little at the idea just as a beautiful girl with a haunting voice began singing the song that had been the most important to me during my last few years with Steve: Time After Time.

 

If you fall, I will catch you, I’ll be waiting…time after time.

 

And: many tears.   Because the moment was filled with such weighty waves of beauty and and sorrow and beauty again.

 

 

I’m not totally sure why I’m sharing this one today except maybe someone needs to know that, yes, sorrow is dodgy and it will find you and keep finding you for a very long time.  Maybe even for forever.  But so will beauty.  It’s also pretty fast on its feet.

 

And one more thing: Thank you to my wedding date for handling a deeply emotional moment with great compassion.  We all need a few high quality humans who are willing to step into our mess and sit quietly, without trying to fix the place up too much.  Cliff Brady is that kind of friend to me and a fantastic wedding date as well.

 

Day 520: Still thankful. Still hopeful.  Still standing.

 

With hope,

 

Bo

 

 

So, let’s talk about widows dating, shall we?

I guess we could talk about anyone dating, but widows experience some issues that others don’t and I think they’re worth mentioning.  In no particular order, we have:

 

1. Grief from the loss of a spouse we loved
2. Children watching and dealing with grief of their own.
3. Fear of loving and losing again
4. A whole world with opinions on how soon is too soon (and every other element involved in moving forward as a single person.)

 

All those things are true of my life and are always shuffling around in terms of which one seems most weighty at any given moment.  For the first year, the noise these concerns created was louder than any desire I might have had to re-enter the dating world, but over the past few months I’ve come to believe this: the worries will always be there, and it’s up to me how much I let them drive my decisions.

 

Having said that, here’s the thing: I’ve been dating a little again and it’s really weird and sometimes sort of terrifying and very – can I say weird again?  Because it is. So, so weird.  But it’s also been fun.   I haven’t been on many dates, but I have been on a few and it has been very weird and very fun.

 

I’m not going to give specifics of when or who because – well,  I don’t want to and maybe never will – but I do want to share a few things I think I’ve learned in this new adventure.

 

•  I need good voices in my life.  I have four women who know every single detail about this chapter in my story.  I’ve told them everything from the first, anxious “maybe” feelings to deep angsty how-could-I-ever-risk-my-heart-again fear.  I’ve been honest about my motives and struggles and shortcomings – painfully, brutally honest, because I don’t trust myself to navigate this stretch of the sea with just my own feeble wisdom steering the ship. I need people who can see objectively and speak honestly which means they are not family members.  My family is so intricately connected to the idea of married Bo that it would be difficult for them to sift through those added, weighty emotions. There are a thousand things I would ask them to weigh in on, but this is not one of those things.    My four friends have 100% access and authority to correct, challenge or flat-out disagree with me, which they do, and I appreciate it.  They are safety to me.  (One of the voices in my life, interestingly enough, was Steve.  Throughout his battle with ALS, he regularly talked to me about this very issue and told me that he was praying for my future relationships.  It was difficult to hear then, but I’m so thankful for his kind generosity now.)

 

• I need to worry less about what the watching world thinks.  We are a society obsessed with love and we’re used to making quick judgements about who should be with who(m?) and how every love story should play out.  People on the periphery of my life will have opinions from “yay!”  to “yikes!” (maybe you’re thinking one of those two things while reading this) and that’s fine, but it’s also important that I not cave to the cries of the noisiest crowd because please believe me, the crowd doesn’t ever agree anyway.  So I need to listen to Jesus and the people I’ve asked to speak into the situation and leave the rest of the opinions to care and keeping of their owners.  (P.S:  I’ve heard so many lonely, lonely widows say that they would love to date but are worried it will make people think they have forgotten about their spouse. That’s very sad. Let’s allow widows and widowers to hang onto their old, wonderful memories while also creating some new ones.  I’ll probably write more about this soon.)

 

• Dating at 50 is different than dating at 19.  And also the same.  Sometimes I look back on the young me with envy, because it was so simple. We didn’t have kids or homes or careers or big backstories.  But on the other hand: we didn’t have kids or homes or careers or backstories – and those are the very things that show the fruit of our lives and love.  Those things are beautiful and important.  Also I think people my age are very aware of how precious and difficult love is and how carefully it must be handled.  There is plenty to love at every season, I suppose, but I’m thankful to be in this one.

 

• I am old fashioned.  I’ve discovered that though culture has changed in the years since I last dated, I have not.  I still want the man to be the man. To make the first move, to open doors and be protective (I have a good story about that I’ll share some day.) I love all the strides women have made in equality and I am thankful to be a woman who is taken seriously in a man’s world, but in dating, I still want it the way I knew it back in the day, including the commitment to abstinence which – wow – I might as well be a dinosaur, right?  But I’m not sorry about this.  (Also not sorry to publicly declare that I am too old fashioned for online dating. I don’t think it’s bad, but…nope.  Never gonna happen for me.)

 

• My kids are awesome. Incredible. Amazing. They are supportive, encouraging and wonderfully kind.  We’ve had to communicate clearly and carefully through the process because none of us has ever been here before, but I could not be more proud of and thankful for every single one of them.

 

So, that’s what’s new with me and I wanted you to know, because you have been with me every step of the way so far.  I don’t like to feel like I’m hiding, but I also really love this strange little season in my life and want to keep it held sort of close to my heart.   However,  I promise to let you know what I’m learning along the way.  Mostly, what I’m learning right now is that life is always changing. You think you know what’s next and then the winds shift, your course adjusts and everything changes.  The good news is that Jesus remains. True. Steady. Faithful as the sunrise.  One thing remains.

 

With hope,

Bo

 

 

 

 

Wow, friends, this has been a long week. I was supposed to speak at Westside this weekend and I did – once. I spoke at the Saturday service with no trouble and then went to a birthday party where many were fighting a stomach bug. As I got into bed that night, I felt a little anxious but I often feel that way on a speaking weekend. By 1 am, it was clear it was more than jitters, it was the flu. For the first time ever, I called in too sick to speak and tried to ride out the wretched virus, mostly praying for Jesus to come back.

 

 

As I write this, it’s two days later @ 2 a.m., and I’m on round two of the same dumb bug. I haven’t slept a single bit and I’m currently in between throwing up so I feel okay for a minute and there are a couple of things I want to commit to a blog post before I forget them:

 

 

• Being sick and alone really, truly sucks. I don’t even know if I need to say anymore than that, but I feel whiny enough that I had to at least get that much out. Steve was a good man in situations like this. He was nurturing and grace-giving and kind. He was strong and present and caring. Few things compare in terms of loneliness – at least for me – to being sick in my room by myself. About an hour ago, I sent a text to my mom and sisters, to check if anyone happened to be awake and was willing to take a phone call from a sick-again sister. I just needed a human voice. My sweet sister called me right away, prayed with me and tucked me back in over the phone. I’m so grateful for the people who have been willing to step into my widow life and be as much Steve as they can be in the really lonely moments.

 

• When the chips are down, I really am pretty brave. I can do these things. I don’t like them, but I can do them and this is a happy discovery because a secret fear of mine over the past few years anticipating life without Steve was how I would handle the tough nights alone. And I’m okay. Perhaps walking someone through a disease like ALS helps build resilience for things like stomach flu, or maybe I’ve had this in me all along. I don’t know, but I’m glad I don’t feel as desperate as I thought I would.

 

• Worship music is saving my life. It really is. I play it on my phone as I moan in my bed and I feel not so alone. Sometimes I wonder if the people who are singing those songs ever imagined that they would be singing to a sick widow on a lonely night. Well done, worship leaders of the world. You serve us well, even when you don’t know it.

 

• God is faithful. In sickness. In death. In life. In health. In peace. He is true and steadfast. I feel Him here and I’m thankful.

 

With hope,

Bo

 

 

 

 

I cannot explain to you the affection I feel for the ALS FancyDance.  For those of you new to my family’s story, the FancyDance was born when we decided to raise money for ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) and were tired of sad disease-related fundraisers. My husband was fighting ALS at the time and we were so weary from the battle and quite desperate for something that felt happy and fun and yet meaningful and true. From those wishes, came this event.  If you want to re-live or catch up on the past two years of this event, you can read my blog posts here and here.  If you want to read about one of the most amazing moments in my life which occurred at the first Fancy Dance – you can read that here.  If you just want to know the deets on this year’s event, read on!

 

 

 

 

2016 ALS Fancy Dance FAQ’s:

 

1. Is the FancyDance actually fancy?   Yes. Because it is.  Because we want it to be.  Because how often do you get to dress up and dosey-doe with your best gal without having to sit through fourteen toasts by the wedding party?  HOW fancy, you ask?  That’s entirely up to you.  Some people go full-on red carpet ready and some wear their ‘good jeans”.  Again I say: up to you. We won’t boss (except for naming it the Fancy Dance which, yes, is inherently bossy.)
2. MUST I bring a date?  From the beginning, we (meaning me, and my kids have gone along because they know what’s good for them) have encouraged people to bring dates because I worry men and women are losing their dating mojo. However, coming without a date or with a group of friends is entirely appropriate and exactly what I’m planning to do since my date is dancing in another location now.
3. Are you going to ask for money all night long?  No. But sort of.  We will ask for money, but not often and it won’t take long.  I usually speak for about 10 minutes and it’s sometimes a little sad, yes, because we need to remember how treacherous the ALS fight really is. (This year, we’ll have a convenient text-to-donate option as well.)
4. Where does the money go?  To the ALS Association, the team that saved our sanity during our five-year battle with ALS.  They continue to serve countless families in our region.
5. What about food? Tell me about the food!  Food trucks (Jacked Up Waffles and Cur-b-Que are in the lineup now) and the fabulous Bend Beerstream (serving beer and wine) will be on site, keeping the good vibes flowing and enabling you to keep your Macarena moves strong.  These vendors are fantastic and each of them donates back to the cause so you can feel good about any cash you spend at the dance.  The inimitable band, Precious Byrd, will be filling the night air with Superphonic Magical tunes as well. Gah!  I already cannot wait!
6. Where, where, where do I park? The venue is magically beautiful, but it does not have parking.  Therefore, we use a shuttle (this year it’s Bend Trolley) to transport people from the Lowes parking lot to the dance, less than a minute away.  The dance runs from 7-10, the shuttle starts rolling at 6:40 and goes throughout the evening.  This is not always entirely convenient and sometimes involves waiting for a ride, so we ask that you just factor it into the fun of the night and enjoy your fellow trolley friends.  There is also limited parking at Deschutes Memorial Cemetery which is adjacent to the party venue (ironic sentence if ever there was one.)
7. How much does the FancyDance cost? The event is free to attend, but not free for us to host.  We suggest a $15 cover charge, and will have a donations jar on site if you’d like to help us with the cost of trolleys and bands and sparklers and such, but it is totally optional.
8. Can I bring my kids?  Yes! PLEASE bring your fancy little darlings so I can dance with them! However, take note that the venue is located very close to the very busy Hwy. 97 and there is also swimming hole on site.  In the midst of all the fancy and dancing, it’s imperative that you know where your kids are at all times.
9. Will there be a sparkler dance?  Um, is Bend the best city on the planet? Is coffee essential for life? Is this the worst election ever?  Yes.  The answer to this question will always be yes.

 

And now, to prepare your dancey feet for the August 26 and all the wonder it shall be, I give you Superphonic Magical by the best band I know.

 

 

And hey – if you have a question I didn’t answer, feel free to put it in the comments and of our FancyDance experts will answer it ASAP!

 

 

 

 

This morning I caught myself talking to myself about talking to myself.  No joke.  And I realized yet again how much Steve listened to me over the years.

 

I am a verbal processor, and this has been one of the most challenging changes to adapt to in single life. My closest friends have been fantastic to listen to my stuff and help me connect the dots from my heart to my head, but it’s not the same as having someone who is living in the very fabric of your days, hearing your thoughts and dreams come out raw and ragged and unedited.  Steve was the most gracious man I’ve ever known.  He cared about people and their feelings – he cared about me most of all.  And he understood that my head is filled with words and those words need to get out somehow.  In the beginning, he tried to offer solutions or work arounds to any problem, and that used to bug me a little.  I mostly wanted to be heard and acknowledged.  But he figured it out. He got pretty good and knowing when I just needed unwavering support and when I needed someone to offer pushback or correction.  He gave my thoughts and feelings a soft place to land.

 

The question in my life now becomes: how do I function as a words-girl in this new world where I have no live-in listener?  The only answer I really have is: be willing to talk to people who aren’t Steve. I committed in the beginning of this sojourn through singleness that I would try to connect with three friends each week and that I would determine to share something of my life with them (because I can pretty easily dodge and weave gut-level honesty if I let myself).  I am still committed to this and it has been really good for me.  I have a counselor who listens, a mentor who listens and a handful of dear friends + my daughters who I know are always available and I use that open door quite regularly.  I also journal relentlessly and, yep, talk to myself quite often.   My people are such a blessing to me and so willing and wonderful and I’m grateful and trying to learn not to worry so much about over-burdening them with the words of my life.

 

I know this post isn’t filled with helpful tips for single people, because I don’t really have many.  But I do have a tip for married people, especially husbands, and it’s this:  Your willingness to stop, listen and let your wife feel heard is beyond beautiful.  Even if you have no brilliant strategies to offer.  Even if you don’t feel like the best conversationalist.  Even if you would rather be watching ESPN (especially if you would rather be watching ESPN.)  In the end, I think your availability as the one who makes space for her words to live and breathe is what sets you apart from every other man in her life (and I really did consider all the other things that set you apart before choosing this one and I stand by my story.)  Keep up the good work, men-with-ears.  You are worth your weight in silver, gold and words.

 

With hope,

 

Bo