I recently was away from home for several days. I had a roommate to share my hotel room, friends to share meals with, and a group to talk, laugh, and explore sights with. It was a wonderful trip…then I came home…

There’s something about walking into an empty house after a period of being away. There is no place like home, that’s true, but even after 13 years being widowed there’s still a sense of loss when I open the door and step inside my quiet home after I’ve been away for awhile.

There’s no one there to welcome me home or to ask about my trip. No help unloading my luggage. No one to sit and relax with after a long day of travel. Just an empty house greets me.

I am blessed with a comfortable home and I am content living there by myself. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else actually. My house is not the issue!

The life adjustment from once sharing our homes with our beloved partners to now feeling their absence and the emptiness of our homes is felt in varying degrees at different stages of our widows’ walk. For me, it’s usually more obvious when I return from an extended absence or during long winter evenings when I’m alone. The silence is especially loud during those times!

But I’m never truly alone! The Bible tells me “The Lord watches over you…he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going.” (Psalm 121:5-8) God knows when I’m coming home to an empty house and He’s there to comfort me.