This episode provides vital updates for the widowhood community as we progress through 2026. Dr. Tina shares details about the Children of Widowhood Secret Santa program and the upcoming Walk for Love initiative designed to foster connection. Listeners will hear about the exclusive Real Widowhood Weekend #NextYou retreat taking place in Virginia Beach this December. We discuss the success of the Hope Grows Here 2026 event and how it supports our new educational scholarship fund. Dr. Tina also outlines the upcoming annual butterfly release ceremony and the men’s grief support group led by James Price. Tune in to learn how you can participate, donate, or find the support you need today. I am sharing my experience of loving the same man for 32 years, a mother to two adult children, a retired military officer, a breast cancer survivor, and my connections with others.  Anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts should reach out to a suicide hotline or local emergency number in their country: Psychology Today Suicide Hotlines and Prevention Resources Around the World. — Watch the episode here   Listen to the podcast here   Navigating Widowhood: Updates And The 2026 Retreat Introduction to Widowhood Updates One of the things I hear often in this widowhood community is, who am I now that my spouse has died? What should I do next? Have I been grieving so long that I’m stuck and I can’t get out of this? Those questions are going to be answered at a retreat that we are hosting. December 3rd through the 6th here at Virginia Beach, Virginia. Let’s get into this episode so I can share those details with you. — Children of Widowhood Secret Santa Widowhood, I have a lot to catch you up on. This is a conversation between the two of us. The first thing that I want to do, and mostly part of this conversation, is give you an update of all the things that’s happening in widowhood. First of all, I want to let that our Children of Widowhood Secret Santa program. We took our last application on June 30th. In 2026, we received 42 applications. That’s doubled in the first year than we did Children of Widowhood Secret Santa. If you’re saying, “What is it anyway?” Let me give you some details. Children of Widowhood Secret Santa is an opportunity for the nonprofit Widowhood Real Talk with Tina to help children who have lost one or both of their parents receive gifts for the Christmas holiday. You may have been reading this show, but let me roll it back and remind you. This show is part of the nonprofit 501(c)(3 Widowhood Real Talk with Tina, registered here in the State of Virginia. This show is often the gateway where people find out about the nonprofit and get involved. Children of Widowhood Secret Santa is managed by two widows, Lisa and Tiffany. They manage the program. I do a little bit to help them out, but they are doing the heavy lifting. The program allows us to work with parents or guardians of children who have lost one or both of their parents. Lisa and Tiffany work with these people to create an anonymous Amazon wish list where each child gets to select one to five gifts. Those gifts are under $50 or less. When I say anonymous, those Amazon wish lists will only show the city and the state for the recipient. On our website, starting October 1st, all those items will be listed and we’re looking for you, other sponsors, churches, places of faith, works, organizations where you work, civic clubs, and all sorts of organizations like funeral homes or hospice to come together to help make sure that these children receive Christmas gifts. Individuals, too. You can sponsor one gift. You may sponsor a child for all five gifts, or maybe a family. Maybe you’re like me, who doesn’t like shopping. The idea of being able to just donate to the program is enough for you. We have that option available also. The application process for Children of Widowhood Secret Santa closed on June 30th, and starting on October 1st, the list of all the gifts will be available on our website, but on August 1st, we will reach out and let all the applicants that were approved know that they are in the program. Lisa and Tiffany will start working with them. Walk For Love Details I am excited. Of those 42 applications, I don’t particularly know how many children are in total, but I’m sure it will be more than what we did for 2026. Also, I want you to know that Walk for Love is coming up soon. In fact, it is August 2nd through the 8th of 2026. You may be saying, “What is Walk for Love?” It is an opportunity for you to get involved with the widowhood community and what that looks like is, we’re asking people from August 2nd to August 8th to walk one mile a day. Only one mile. You may walk it outside. You may walk it inside. You may have a medical device. I have my right knee replaced, so I’m probably going to be using my walker to scoot down the road and accomplish my one mile a day. Depending on your situation, but before you do it, please check with your health provider to make sure that you’re in a good place to go for a walk every day. We specifically chose one mile a day because maybe you’ve been thinking about returning to exercise. One of the things that we know that can happen when we are dealing with grief. We don’t take care of ourselves as much as we want to. We don’t exercise. We’re sad. We’re sitting back and we’re disassociated from a lot of things around us. Being able to walk one mile a day can often get us back outside, getting into the sun, connecting with nature, and being