Paula Ezop

Paula M. Ezop is a spirituality commentary columnist. Her inspirational columns Following the Spiritual Soul have appeared in Oconee Today, a South Carolina Scripps Howard publication. They are currently in: Celebrating the Success of the Modern Woman, Esteem Yourself, and Open to Hope. She has contributed to such popular books as Chicken Soup for the Caregivers Soul and she has written the foreword to Whispers of Inspiration, a collection of both poetry and prose gathered from voices around the world. Paula also co-authored a book in the Mommies Line, Spirituality for Mommies. Her Ebook Sparkly Bits of Spiritual Wisdom is available online, it is a collection of her inspirational columns. She has also written Sparkly Bits of Spiritual Wisdom – 29 ½ Ways for Women to Get In Touch With Their Spirits. Closest to her heart is her most recent book, A Widow’s Journey – Healing a Broken Heart. Wiggles Press has published her children’s chapter books, The Adventures of Penelope Star and the Mystery of the Three Dragons, and Lee McKenzie’s Summer to Remember – both are the first in a series. Paula holds the Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Elementary Education from Northeastern Illinois University. Her heartfelt and meaningful writing began as a means to overcome the loss of her husband. Paula has now written hundreds of articles and several books centering on life and faith. Her sustaining philosophy is that “we are more than the woman we see in our mirror.”

Articles:

Five Years into Widowhood, Life Goes On

Five Years into Widowhood I still can’t believe that he is gone, and perhaps I never will. And that’s all right. I never thought that I would be alone, and in my mind, I know that being alone is the hardest thing that I will ever have to do. If you have lost the love of your life, then you know what I am talking about. You confront the same unbearable pain and heartbreak each day as I do, and you too have loneliness as your constant companion. It has been five years since Eddie died. My friends and family […]

How I Magically Found the Spirit of the Season

I thought this year was going to be different. The Thanksgiving holiday was here, and I showed no signs of the “Holiday Dreads.” That’s what I secretly call my emotional state when the holiday season arrives. You see, I am a 68 year old widow. I’ve been a widow since 2005, so I’m not a stranger to the feelings that the loss of the love of your life brings, especially at times of celebration. Yes, no matter how hard I try year after year, I get them. It usually starts in October when I realize that soon the holiday season […]

A Baseball Cap of Memories

When my husband died, there were reminders of our life together everywhere I looked. Sweet, lovely memories surrounded me, and those memories gave me much needed comfort in those dark, dark, dark days of despair and loneliness. His favorite leather jacket hung in the closet next to my jackets and coats. His shoes lined the closet floor, and his drawers were filled with his favorite socks, underwear, and polo shirts. I would touch his articles of clothing, and whisper how much I loved him, and how much I missed him. It was a ritual I would do morning and night. […]

Music Can Heal a Broken Heart

I love to write. I write about the spiritual in our everyday lives, and I write children’s books. Yes, I know that they are two completely different genres; yet both make me feel complete. I believe that writing about the spiritual is what I was meant to do. It is my reason for being here, and I feel if I have helped just one person with my spiritual writing, then I am fulfilling my mission in life. Writing children’s books takes me to places where all things are possible, where bears can talk, princesses live in lovely castles, and magical […]

Sadness Creeps Back, Sometimes Out of the Blue

I lost my husband of 35 years nine years ago, and the overwhelming grief that I felt is somewhat of a distant memory. “Yes, somewhat of a distant memory, until something triggers that gut-wrenching heartache,” I mutter out loud as I write. It is strange how it manages to creep back into our lives, out of the blue, shattering our day, and reminding us that we are here without the love of our lives. The triggers can be something as simple as seeing a couple walking together holding hands, or watching a football game and remembering those autumn afternoons when […]

Heaven…When Malaysian Plane Arrives

Darkness spread throughout heaven…and, all of heaven was filled with sadness…the moment when God heard his children on Malaysia flight number MH17 cry out for help…and, the angel choirs were silent…and, God wept openly for his children… God wept openly as he heard from the pilots, flight attendants, and passengers on the plane that was headed for destruction on that fateful day. His children were crying out for help. The angels stood in silence…and God cried out in anguish! His anger filled the air and for but a moment, the world fell silent as God’s children looked straight into the […]

Reflections of my Independence as a Widow

I consider myself an independent woman, something that when I was a young girl I would have been very proud of. I would have been proud of the fact that I had a good job, proud of the fact that I had my own place, proud of the fact that I supported myself, and that my finances were in order. Proud of the fact that I was a published author, and extremely proud of the fact that I was confident in making decisions and handling my affairs. Yes, I am an independent woman, but I am also a widow, which […]

My Father’s Final Gift

I would like to share my father’s final gift with you – a gift he unknowingly gave to me in death. I received this most precious gift on a beautiful sunny day in April. I’ll never forget the sky, it was so blue and the air was so crisp – God had created a simply gorgeous Spring day. It was hard for me to imagine that anyone (much less my father) could be dying on such a glorious, beautiful day… I remember I didn’t want to go to the hospital to visit my father on that beautiful day. I knew I […]

My Experience With Hospice Care

When the man that you have been married to for 35 years, and whom you love with all of your heart and soul, is gravely ill, you are numb and filled with heartache like you have never felt before. I went from a confident woman able to make important decisions to a woman who was lost, alone, and unsure of even the simplest thing. I no longer trusted my judgment – my world had been devastated, and I was emotionally and physically exhausted. So, when I was asked to make a decision about in-hospital hospice care for my husband, all […]

Writing Songs for Husband Helped Widow Heal

When my husband died, I felt a burning desire, a heartfelt need, to tell the world about the love that we shared. I wanted everyone to know how I felt, and how our love would last forever and ever. I decided that I was going to write a song about the love that I held deep in my heart. My love song would be a memorial to the man that I walked through life and death with. I’m not a musician nor am I a songwriter. But, I was a writer who needed to express herself. So, I researched the […]

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