Margaret, 64, from Yorkshire, and Peter, 67, from Cheshire, met on Widow Dating eighteen months ago. Both had told their families they were not interested in dating again. This is their story. Margaret speaks first.
My husband Geoffrey passed away four years ago after a long illness. We had been married for 38 years. I genuinely believed that was it for me. I thought I had had my love story and that was enough.
My daughter kept mentioning widow dating websites and I kept changing the subject. Then one evening I was sitting alone watching a film we used to watch together, and I thought: I do not want to spend every evening like this. I want to share things with someone again. Not to replace Geoffrey. Just to have someone to share things with. I joined Widow Dating almost in secret. I did not tell anyone.
I just made a quiet little profile and had a look around. It felt safe because everyone there understood. Peter sent me a message after seeing that we had both walked the same stretch of the Yorkshire Dales. He wrote beautifully. Thoughtful and a little funny. I liked him immediately. Peter continues.
I lost my wife Susan three years before I joined the site. My son thought I should try widow dating but I resisted for a long time. I felt guilty, as though looking for companionship was somehow a betrayal of Susan.
What helped me was reading other people stories on the Widow Dating blog. Seeing that other people had navigated this and found happiness without forgetting gave me permission to try. When I saw Margaret profile, something felt right. She looked warm and real.
I spent about an hour writing my first message to her and deleted it twice before sending something simple and honest. We talked online for a month before meeting for a walk in the Dales. We walked for three hours and talked the whole time. Margaret finishes their story.
We have been together for fourteen months now. We talk about Geoffrey and Susan openly. I want anyone reading this who is hesitating about widow dating to know: your heart is bigger than you think.
There is room for everything you have already loved and everything that is still to come.