I may be making an impact on women's lives, but they have made an unforgettable imprint on my soul. It is fulfilling to be giving value to others. I'm finding that lifting others up has also lifted me out of my own sadness.

Working for free, but my pay if far more valuable than working for money. Satisfying the needs of women who are grieving has given me a purpose and I've been blessed to make new friends because of it. I feel that my life matters and I believe that we all matter but we don't always appreciate it.

My advice is to go out and do a good deed - you will get back more than you give.

Are You A Hugger? My family are huggers – they hug to say hello and they hug to say good-bye. These last few years I’ve come to appreciate a hug. It relieves pain, suffering, depression and loneliness. It gives me a feeling of belonging, eases my fears and builds my self-esteem, and its free for the taking.

So, hug the people you care about because what you give in this case – you also receive back.

Today I was at the local Indio bookstore talking to the staff, when a lady came up to me and asked me if I was the writer of the book "The Sisterhood of Widows". I said "Yes" and she said, " I have to tell you how great your book is. I work in the intensive care unit at the the Hospital and I have already bought 3 books to give away. Thank you for doing the book, you really did something special."

Wow, that's when I knew that its right. All the hours every week I put into helping other widows is the right thing to do and in turn I'm blessed by strangers. Isn't the world an amazing place!!

Website Update - My website www.thesisterhoodofwidows.com has a "Resource Page" with some great links to other websites for tips and advice when you have lost a loved one. I also have a second website www.themaryfrancis.com that has a "Memories" page.

Thank you everyone for all the support and encouragement. Please be part of my journey by signing up for my free monthly newsletter. There is always something new to share with each other. Take care, Mary

Keeping Papers - Just how long should you keep all your papers?

Keep for one year – utility bills, pay stubs, bank and credit card statements.
Keep for six years – investments statements, tax returns and supporting documents.
Keep all receipts, for big-ticket purchases, with your house insurance policy incase you have to make a claim.

Save insurance policies, deeds, warranties and manuals until they expire or the item is sold.

Keep a permanent file for big loans paid off (mortgage, car, personal loans etc). This way you have prove they are paid off if for some reason they were reported to credit bureaus as being unpaid.

Let's Get Organized. Time to clean out all my old documents, stray files, old bills and pieces of paper. First I have to empty that overflowing kitchen junk drawer that I throw everything into. I’m going to sort everything into 3 piles: Bills – Receipts – Statement/Warranties, with the rest going into the garbage.

All the bills are going in a basket by my computer until they are paid. Receipts are going in a folder for one year, then I will clean that folder out. Statements/Warranties will be filed in my cabinet for safe keeping.

Hopefully next year when it’s time to do my taxes I will have everything together because this year I had papers everywhere.

The bad news is that

The bad news is that I didn't reach my revised goal of 10 pounds in 10 weeks. I didn't get to exercise and I know that I need to start if I want to lose alot more weight. The good news is that by eating right I did lose 1.5 pounds for a total loss of 9 pounds. I'm ok with 9 pounds because I've changed my eating habits and feel alot better. Thank you for following me these past 10 weeks and offering your support and encouragement.