Before there is loss, there is a person who changes your world: a shared life, private jokes, routines that become second nature, and the quiet certainty of having found your person. And, when that person dies, grief is not simply the absence they leave behind. It is the reshaping of everyday life around that absence.

In this series, we are sharing the powerful stories of widowed members of our community, listening not only to how they have lived with loss, but to the relationships that came before it. Because every grief story is also a love story.

In this first piece, Sarah reflects on her life with her beloved Reena, the memories that still bring her close, and what it has meant to navigate widowhood as a woman grieving her same-sex partner. Her story is one of profound loss, enduring love and the importance of being truly seen in grief.

Where it all started

Before understanding the depth of a loss, I think it’s so important to understand the love that came before it. Grief is n...

About International Widow’s Day

Every year on the 23rd of June, International Widows Day shines a spotlight on the experiences of widows around the world.

Founded by the Loomba Foundation in 2005 and adopted by the United Nations as an official observance day in 2011, the day draws attention to the extreme poverty, social stigmatisation and human rights abuses that millions of widows, of all ages, face across the world. 

From armed conflict, sexual violence and limited education and employment, to the denial of inheritance rights, property grabs and forced displacement - the hardships and discrimination widows encounter globally is almost beyond comprehension. In some parts of the world, widows also face significant stigma, harmful practices and exclusion from community life.

These realities matter. They deserve recognition, attention and action.

International Widow’s Day is a call to action for all governments, organisations and communities to uphold the basic rights of widows wo...