Widow Wins (April 1, 2026)

This is the fifth spring since Scott passed away. As the daffodils and forsythia and cherry blossoms bloomed, I hoped that the springtime memories of Scott's initial diagnosis and final days might fade in time. Most days feel full and pass quickly now, but there are times like last week when flashbacks of those final days return with a force as if they had happened yesterday. It's hard when they hit unexpectedly, but I'm at peace with that now. I'd rather have those memories and the love that continues on, even if they're painful. 

I watched the Artemis II launch tonight. I had been vaguely aware that we were sending a crew to the moon this week, which I thought was pretty cool, but the mission struck a chord with me when I read that Reid Wiseman, the commander of Artemis II, lost his wife to cancer in 2020 (also on May 17).

Artemis II crew

 

In my widow support group, we talk about "widow wins." This can be something as simple as completing a household task, getting your kids to school (which maybe is not so simple), or just getting out of bed. We celebrate each of these wins because we know how hard we fought for them. As I watched Artemis II launch into the heavens, my eyes filled with tears. I thought about how we can still dream and achieve great things, even in a world that feels increasingly broken. I thought about what an incredible "widow win" it is to be leading humanity back to the moon. Even after the worst has happened, we can eventually get back up and pursue the dreams that we shared with our loved ones, and new dreams that we make for ourselves. We can author the next chapters of our lives, and they are worth discovering. This doesn't happen overnight in a giant leap but in a series of small steps over time. 

I have no doubt that as Reid Wiseman travels into the vastness of space toward the moon, his wife is with him every step of that journey, just as Scott is with me as I embark on new challenges and new adventures in my life (which will stay very much on Earth).