NORRISTOWN, Pa. - s4story -- Becoming a bride, a wife or a mother is a joyous occasion; becoming a widow is not. It's a painful, frightening and lonely one.

Barbara Kretchmar learned that firsthand when her husband Ed died at the age of the 47 in March 1990 after a seventeen-month bout with cancer. At the time of Ed's death, Barbara was 46 years old and their two sons were 11 and 13. She turned to friends and professional counselors for support, but really wanted to connect with other widows who could relate to her grief.

Her new book Widows – Our Words and Ways is intended for all widows, regardless of who they may be.  While most "widow" or "grief" books have been written by trained professionals or high profile public figures, Widows – Our Words and Ways, is unique in that it consists of twenty-five first person narratives of a diverse group of widows: widows of all ages, backgrounds, ethnicities and religions whose husbands died under various different circumstances. These everyday real life "wonder women" relate their personal experiences in facing the death of their spouse, how they coped with their grief and loss of the life they knew, and how they each established a new life. The narratives provide valuable insights, wisdom, and inspiration for all grieving widows.  They also offer guidance for the people who their friends who care about and want to support them.

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Judith Sills, Ph.D., psychologist and Author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Excess Baggage, calls Widows – Our Words and Ways "an inspiring book on a heart-wrenching subject: Twenty-five widows speak for themselves, offering surprising comfort and unique survival strategies that only those who have been there could be wise enough to conceive."

Regardless of who the widow is and how she came to be widowed, Barbara hopes in Widows – Our Words and Ways the reader will find stories she can relate to and wisdom she can use to help her overcome her own challenges and move forward with life.

Widows – Our Words and Ways is available on Amazon.com and Barbara Kretchmar's website.