“For I know the plans I have for you” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you HOPE and a FUTURE.” Jeremiah 29:11
Crossing with you….to give you hope, and a future
Currently, there are nearly 14 million widows in the U.S., 245 million widows globally and about 585 million children who are directly affected. Widows from across the globe have been historicall
y undervalued, stigmatized, isolated and deemed voiceless socially, economically, emotionally, and spiritually. The Bridge is committed to being advocates to give widows a voice, enabling and empowering them to move forward and become vital members of society once again able to thrive”. Mission:
As a woman becomes newly widowed, she steps into the on going process of defining a new (and unwanted) self-identity without her partner. This reality is further heightened when she finds herself in a time-space quandary. For her, time has stood still, for the world at large, it has continued. It does not take long for her self-conscious awareness to reveal that these life circumstances cause a sudden and forever change. The positive approach we foster at The Bridge is vitally important in her healing and self actualization process. Her first few steps will set the future trajectory for her ‘new me’ life. At The Bridge we equally recognize and respect all our differences as an interfaith, multi-generational nonprofit. Our shared values and focus on unconditional love are what makes us stand out and highly effective. At The Bridge we are interested in research based analysis, empirical investigations and surveys, conversations about subcultures, sociology, stigma and ‘dependency culture’ studies as well as positive psychology, ethnomethodology, physiologic effects of grief, the gender gap, meaning making, Maslow’s hierarcy of needs (8 levels), emotional intelligence, pain to purpose resilience building, metanoia, adrenal fatigue, thanatology, neuroscience, compassion, trust, vulnerability, justice and spirituality. We serve a myriad of needs (physical, mental, social, financial, emotional, and psychological) for widows and their children. In speaking with one particular widow she stated “I actually had no idea about how life altering becoming a widow was until I found myself becoming one. In one breathe, everything I believed about myself disappeared. I went from being seen as a married woman to being known only as a grieving widow. The impact is indescribable. I needed to find someone who understood this and ask a lot of safe and confidential questions”. Women come into widowhood with different challenges; disadvantages and advantages. They need help in trusting again, reducing fears on every level about a changing world and continual encouragment with re-defining themselves. At The Bridge they are able to face their future in a nonjudgemental, tender, compassionate, safe and nurturing space with others who have their highest intention in mind. To do that, we need to challenge boundaries and structures, develop wide-spread community partnerships, raise awareness of vulnerabilities, to give empathy with limitations, and forge a livable path to generate solid, positive changes for these women. Finding role models and positive communities is the catalyst that sparks her transformative journey. We hope to serve as a bridge of understanding, comfort, compassion and positive change between a widow and society at large.
