Wife, Lover, Widow, Mother

Wife, Lover, Widow, Mother – I am all of these things. My husband, the love of my life, died of a heroin overdose last December. I hate saying those words all in a sentence together, “husband,” “died,” and “heroin.” Partially because I don’t want to believe the truth of the situation and partially because I feel like it misleads people to think of what those words meant in connection with Kevin. Kevin wasn’t just a husband, he was my husband, my best friend, my lover, and the father of my daughter. He didn’t just die, he died suddenly at the age of 28 leaving behind myself and his three month old daughter. He wasn’t just a heroin addict, he was fighting an enormous battle that finally chose him as the unlucky loser. Still, the truth is that all of those words belong in the sentence together to describe my Kevin. The strangest part of all is that when all has been said and done to save him, and all has been lost, I am okay claiming him as my husband AND a heroin addict. You see, his battle with heroin is only one part of an amazing story of love, courage, pain, death, and ultimately redemption. The battle may have wrenched his soul from his body, but it could not take either of these from the long arms of the Lord.