Catherine Tidd

Catherine Tidd is a widow, a writer, public speaker, and mother to three young entertaining children. She received a degree in English from Rollins College in 1998 and has since worked as a writer, editor, Marketing Manager, and Event Planner. Originally from Louisiana, Ms. Tidd currently lives in Denver, CO.

Articles:

Family Photos Document Life Before and After Widowhood

I don’t take a whole lot of pictures anymore. This wasn’t a conscious decision, but it is a big change from the person I used to be. In my early days as a mother, I was a huuuuge scrapbooker. I did what every typical mother does. I took one million pictures of my first born, around 500,000 of my second, and by the time the third one came around, I took about two a month, just so she would know she wasn’t born as a 5-year-old. I used to not only take pictures at events, but take them at every different angle […]

In the ‘Widdahood,’ Starting the New Year Right

I’m in a funk. I know, I know…everyone is going to say that I shouldn’t be surprised, that it happens to everyone after the holidays. But it’s surprising me. I’m not quite sure why I’m experiencing this post-holiday let down. I know I used to go through it as a kid (in a BIG way), but as an adult, I’m usually just as happy to see the holidays go. Especially because the older I get, the more it seems like I blink and they’re staring me in the face once again. I think the major part of my funk is […]

Widowhood Means Doing Holiday Tasks for Two

The mood has changed. Not just my mood (although that can change every second, thanks to fluctuating hormone levels and no husband to yell at when I’m cranky for no reason). It seems like everyone’s mood has changed. You know…we’re pretty funny. We can’t just give ourselves a time to adjust to the fact that the days are getting shorter and the weather is getting cooler. We can’t just sit back and relax and accept it for what it is. Nope. Because thanks to Target and Hobby Lobby breaking out the autumn decorations in June and Christmas stuff in July, […]

The Holidays Come Early For Widows

I had a pretty good day recently. Which is shocking because I’ve starting in on my Christmas shopping. I think what made it okay was that first of all, I got to spend some time with my mom. The other thing though…the true miracle…is that I was doing it at all. For the past three Christmases (this will be my 4th without my husband), I think I have been in such denial that Christmas was going to actually happen that I left my shopping until the very last minute. This little practice made me feel so overwhelmed and exhausted by […]

Are Thank You Notes Necessary After the Death of a Loved One?

I was brought up with a Southern mother who drummed into us the lesson that it doesn’t matter if someone gives you a diamond or a dandelion…thank you notes are a must. And for the most part, I completely agree. For whatever the gift or sentiment, the giver thought of you, took the time out of their day to give you something, and that action should be acknowledged. Even now, with my kids as young as they are, I have them write their own thank you notes. And I even have them write them to each other after a birthday […]

Widow Finds Way to Feel at ‘Home’

We all go through different stages in our lives. And all of those stages affect us differently. And how we deal with those stages shape the people we become. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about when my husband and I were first married, when I was at the ripe old age of 20. Actually, I got married 3 weeks after I turned 20 because I refused to get married as a teenager. So, at the beginning of my marriage, we had no money. Like I-felt-guilty-about-buying-a-pair-of-socks… no money. My husband had a good, steady job, but I was still in […]

Shhhh…Listen Closely. It’s the Sound of Someone Healing

I always thought that going through a profound loss would make someone an expert on loss. I mean, we always work with what we know, right? You would think after experiencing the death of my husband that I would be one of those people who knew what to say when someone else was going through something similar. That I would have some magical words of comfort. That I would finally know the secret handshake that gets you into the National Grievers Society and thereby bestows upon you everything you need to know about healing others. That I wouldn’t be as […]

Retail Therapy: How Widows Might Pull Us Out of the Recession

Let’s face it. We start spending the moment our loved one take his last breath. Wait a minute–we really start spending way before that. Most of us are the reason why our own personal physicians drive such nice cars. But if you think about it–our contribution to the healthcare industry is just the beginning. Once everything is done, we have the funeral to deal with. I’ve been to small funerals and elaborate ones, but, even on the small side, we usually spend at least a couple thousand dollars. You’ve got a casket or a seriously overpriced urn. You’ve got flowers […]

Lost in the Widowhood

“I feel so lost.” How many times have we felt that way? How many times have we heard that from other grievers? How many times have we just wanted to pull on a t-shirt that says it, so we just don’t have to explain anymore why we’re operating in such a daze? We all go through these periods of feeling lost. Like we’re floating out there in the world with nothing to anchor us. We make the best effort we can to find that connection–the internet, support groups, counseling–something, anything to make us feel like we’re still part of the […]

Dating for Widows: Now May be the Time to Cast Your Line

Dating after a spouse-loss is kind of like standing on a ledge with a bungee cord attached to you. You sweat, hoping that that bungee cord is gonna hold. You may be ready to take the plunge. Or you may take one look at the view (which looks just fine without the addition of our innards splattered below, thank you very much) and step away. Or, standing on the ledge, we may need a friendly push from a well-intentioned friend who we may be mad at while we’re swinging but once we’re on firm ground we’ll give them a big […]

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