The Other Side of I Do

Tom and I were married on a warm sunny day in August amidst family, friends, flowers, and live music. It was a small affair with hors d'oeuvres, champagne, and cake. The ceremony took place at the same riverfront restaurant where we shared our first date. Afterward, we sailed off into the sunset on a friend's boat. Twenty-nine years later, how could this man have died after an eighteen-month "battle" with colon cancer? Prior to his disease, he had always been the healthy one. Tom loved camping, hiking, biking, and racket ball. He even came to aerobics with me, often being the only man in the class. The Other Side of I Do is a journal that documents the emotional highs and lows following Tom's death. Often, writing in my journal was the only thing that made sense during the early days of being a widow. Interspersed throughout are flashbacks to the life we lived, as well as dramatic vignettes documenting his diagnosis and treatment.