One Foot Forward

Very few people in this country are comfortable talking about end-of-life issues, death, and widowhood. When this most transformative of life events eventually happens, how does one continue on past the lingering questions, the new plans, the change in perspective? One Foot Forward offers hope, solace, and the knowledge that you're not alone. The insightful and powerful stories of the 20 widowed women and men in this book are woven together with beautiful portraits to document bereavement, acceptance, and perseverance in the face of the life-altering death of a spouse. Fox, herself widowed at the age of 50, interviewed people from a variety of backgrounds and cultures; people whose spouses died as a result of chronic illnesses and sudden deaths; people who were widowed in their 20s as well as those widowed in their 70s. The journeys through bereavement in One Foot Forward are as singular as the subjects' relationships and lives, yet the grief and life-affirming determination to survive, and eventually thrive, are universal. Remarkably, most people do keep putting one foot forward, some to profound effect: many even construct new and often more meaningful lives. These are stories of resilience and triumph-of the human spirit finding a way to blossom after devastating loss. 100% of the author's royalties will be contributed to the National Hospice Foundation.