Jennifer Hawkins

Jennifer’s diverse background includes swimming for the University of California at Santa Barbara, competing in the Olympic Trials in 1988, owning a residential real estate company for fifteen years and authoring five books. She has spoken in front of audiences up to 700 people, traveled to over forty different locations, and is raising two boys who are five and seven years old. She currently lives in Texas and is an active real estate investor, mom and author working on her sixth book.

Articles:

How I Surrendered to the Grief of Losing My Husband

The Grief of Losing My Husband On February 4, 2009, I woke up to find that my husband had died in his sleep from an undetected heart condition. He was forty-nine years old. I was thirty-nine. It was the biggest shock of my life. The first two hours were a blur of emotion, pain, fear, shock, and denial. The next two and a half years have been a lesson in living life much more openly, deeply, and presently. In the immediate aftermath of his death, I discovered I had two choices. I could either surrender to what had happened, or […]

Read More

Smile at Yourself This Holiday Season

This time of year is impossible to get through without thinking about Mark. Winter just seems like it is supposed to be a time to be together with loved ones. And if you have lost a loved one it may feel hard. Cold weather is made for cuddling after all. But this year, the fourth winter without Mark, feels different. He isn’t here with us in the physical plane, but the boys and I know he will always be with us spiritually and in our hearts. And during these holidays I am choosing to follow my children’s lead and bask […]

Read More

Finding Space After Spouse Loss

When my husband passed away unexpectedly in his sleep one night in February of 2009, my life was turned up-side-down in an instant. Chaos ensued for the next few weeks like never before. When I came out of the fog and looked around, it felt like I was so alone. I was a widow at 39 years old. I didn’t know anyone who was a widow at my age. It was mind-numbing looking toward the future without my husband. Over the next few months, and now years, I rebuilt a life with my two young children that fit us. We […]

Read More

How to Maintain Relationships with Your In-Laws After Losing Your Spouse

My husband Mark passed away in his sleep unexpectedly from a heart condition we did not know he had. He was forty-nine years young. I was thirty-nine. Our two boys were three and five. It was without question the hardest day of our lives. And, it was the hardest day in other people’s lives as well. I’d known my husband for almost ten years when he died. His family had known him all of his forty-nine years. Many weeks later, I came out of the shock of losing my mate. I looked around at what had been ‘our’ life that was […]

Read More