About Me

“There is no such thing as a typical military widow, but if there was, I probably wouldn’t be it anyway.”

  

Hi! I’m Monica. I’m a writer, speaker, mother, and military widow. And I know absolutely nothing about goats, though my life really is a goat rodeo at times.

I’m an accidental writer. After my husband was killed in a military training accident in May 2014, I turned to writing as an outlet to help me process my grief. I’ve been writing and speaking ever since. I’ve discovered I have a lot to say.  Anyone who knows me will not find this surprising. I actually like to talk—a lot.

As a military widow, I know just how hard life can be. I-don’t-think-I-can-make-it-through-another-day-hard. But I did make it through that day, and the next one too.  And you know what? So can you.

That’s why I’m here. To show you it can be done. To give you strength when you don’t think you have any left. To give you courage when all hope seems lost.

Because we all need to know we’re not alone sometimes. Even me.

By sharing my story with you, it doesn’t just help you, it helps me too.

When we help others, we also help ourselves.

The truth is I don’t have all the answers (no one does, by the way). I’m still struggling to make sense of it all. And honestly, I’m not sure I ever will.

Don’t worry; I’ve made my fair share of mistakes over the last few years. I’ve fallen down many times and I’ve picked myself back up again too.

But I’ve also learned a few things too— about grief and resiliency, courage and strength, and sadness and happiness. And here is where I share what I’ve learned with you.

A Little Bit More About Me

I was born and raised in Nova Scotia’s picturesque Annapolis Valley, but now call Ottawa, Canada's national capital home. I'm a mother of three, bonous mom of two, and Nanny of one adorable baby girl. I’m a self-professed coffee addict, and I'm a gin connoisseur (which is a fancy way of saying I’m a gin snob). And yes, my dog is named after gin. Don’t judge, I get enough of that as a widow as it is. I love to walk, run, read, and write (obviously). And mostly I love people and their stories. We all have a story just waiting to be heard.

I hope you share yours with me, and I hope you follow me here to hear more of mine. 

To learn more about Monica's story, follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/agoatrodeo/