thank you
This is really just a short message of thanks.My blog, lifeasawidower.com, has been active for nearly nine weeks now and as I approach that milestone I've started to reflect on what that time has brought.After the first few days of writing, the blog had 5,000 views. This week that figure has grown to 400,000. I could never have anticipated that kind of number just over two months ago. But actually the numbers don't matter. All I really set out to do was to try to help guys left in similar situations to me, widowed young and caring for children without a mum, to find empathy. When some of those unfortunate men told me that my shared stories and experiences helped, I made a promise to myself to continue.But then something suddenly occurred to me. I'd opened up because I wasn't daunted by the idea of expressing my emotions publicly. Many other men are. So whilst hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people have been in touch, it's the guys who are reading privately and remain invisible to me that also matter so much. These people might not ever be at ease talking about their feelings, but knowing that their feelings aren't completely unique to them might just help make them feel slightly more human again. So this week, it's with these people in mind that I continue to write.But I also want to give a nod to the incredible openness I've observed online recently. Male, female, young and old, I see people sharing stories, connecting and helping one another through loss every day. Whether it's in the blog's comments, the Twitter feed, Facebook page or the emails I receive from well-wishers, I am left astounded by how much people continue to show that they care.So thank you for reading, both privately and publicly. Thank you for sharing. Thank you for the comments. Thank you for the advice and the expertise. Thank you for guest blogging. Thank you for helping one another. Thank you for opening up. Thank you for caring about each other. And thank you for caring about me and my son.Here's to lots more to come.With love from Ben and an unusually sleepy Jackson.