Do you have a friend or family member who is approaching the death anniversary of a husband? If so, you are a good friend for acknowledging it. Many times those important dates pass without recognition.
Jump ahead to these sections:
- Sad Quotes for Your Husband’s Death Anniversary
- Inspiring Quotes to Read On Your Husband’s Death Anniversary
Perhaps you are approaching the anniversary of your husband’s death and you are unsure how to commemorate the event. You aren’t sure whether or not to let others know that the anniversary is approaching or whether to spend the day in quiet contemplation.
Here are some often-published quotes to help you reflect upon the death of a husband.
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Sad Quotes for Your Husband’s Death Anniversary
Maybe you are tired of being strong. You are sick of reading quotes about how a person never truly dies when they live on in the hearts of those that loved them. Instead, you want to read sad poems and let people know that life without your husband stinks.
Here are some quotes that acknowledge the sadness that you are experiencing.
1. “I have plenty of people to do things with; I just have no one to do nothing with.” —Felicity Green
Journalist Felicity Green may have hit the nail on the head with this quote. Perhaps your friends and family members are working hard to keep you busy. But no matter how many lunch dates you have, you may suffer from loneliness when you are hanging out at home.
2. “Grief is like living two lives. One is where you ‘pretend’ that everything is alright, and the other is where your heart silently screams in pain.” —Unknown
Many of us are taught not to be too demonstrative with our grief. People are praised for “remaining strong” and “carrying on.”
Maybe people act strong because they know that there is nothing that others can do to bring their loved ones back. Perhaps being strong is more of a practical decision than an emotional one.
3. “Here is one of the worst things about having someone you love die. It happens again every single morning.” —Anna Quindlen
If you have suffered a loss, you know what Quindlen is trying to describe. Especially in the early stages of grief, you may wake up each morning with a peaceful heart. You may even reach out for your husband on the pillow next to you. Only when you become fully awake, do you again remember that your husband is gone.
4. “Don’t tell me that you understand. Don’t tell me that you know. Don’t tell me that I will survive, that I will surely grow. Don’t come at me with answers that can only come from me. Don’t tell me that my grief will pass, that I will soon be free. Accept me in my ups and downs. I need someone to share. Just hold my hand and let me cry, and say, ‘my friend, I care.’” —Unknown
We know that this is more of a poem than a quote about losing a husband. But we thought it was so good that we wanted to share it anyway.
Know that most people have good intentions when they try to console those who are grieving. They may not realize that the words that they say cause you more discomfort and pain. Instead of becoming angry, you may consider giving them grace.
5. “I hide my tears when I say your name, but the pain in my heart is still the same. Although I smile and seem carefree, there is no one who misses you more than me.” —Unknown
Do you hide your tears from others? Many people who are grieving do. Hopefully, there are a few people in your life with whom you can share your tears.
6. “Sometimes, only one person is missing, but the whole world seems depopulated.” —Alphonse De Lamartine
Maybe you have a large family and plenty of friends, but you still feel overwhelming loneliness after losing your spouse. You may look at other people with wonder as they go on with their lives while you are in a fog of grief.
7. “Without you in my arms, I feel an emptiness in my soul. I find myself searching the crowds for your face—I know it’s an impossibility, but I cannot help myself.” —Nicholas Sparks
Grief may cause you to do irrational things, like look for your husband’s face in a crowd or wishing for him to return. Read about the stages of grief, so you can understand that what you are feeling and experiencing is normal.
8. “The death of a beloved is an amputation.” —C.S. Lewis
You may feel as if you lost your right arm after the death of your husband. C.S. Lewis wrote about the grief he experienced from losing his wife, Helen, in “A Grief Observed.” Consider reading this classic to assist you in the grieving process.
Inspiring Quotes to Read On Your Husband’s Death Anniversary
Maybe you are ready to read some inspiring quotes about death regarding the loss of your husband. Here are some more uplifting quotes that are full of hope and promise.
9. “At the blueness of the skies, and in the warmth of summer, we remember them.” —Rabbis Sylvan Kamens and Jack Riemer
We can also remember our loved one on rainy days and in the midst of winter too. Many people describe the solace that comes from being in nature.
10. “Should you shield the valleys from the windstorms, you would never see the beauty of their canyons.” —Elizabeth Kubler-Ross
Elizabeth Kubler-Ross was a psychiatrist known for her study of grief. This quote reflects on the beauty of canyons which wouldn’t exist without strong, turbulent winds.
11. “I’ll be seeing you in all the old familiar places, that this heart of mine embraces all day through.” —Irving Kahal
Has music become more relevant to you now that your loved one is gone? You may remember these lyrics to “I’ll Be Seeing You,” a song recorded by Bing Crosby, Billie Holiday, and Frank Sinatra. What songs remind you of your relationship with your husband?
12. “She was no longer wrestling in the grief, but could sit down with it as a lasting companion and make it a sharer in her thoughts.” —George Eliot
Perhaps you are still in the wrestling stage of your grief, but at some point, you may find that grief is a lasting and comfortable companion. George Eliot was Mary Ann Evans’ pseudonym. Evans was a Victorian novelist.
13. “The holiest of holidays are those kept by ourselves in silence and apart. The secret anniversaries of the heart.” —Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Even if no one acknowledges the anniversary of your husband, commemorate the death in your own unique and holy way. In fact, you may prefer to spend the anniversary in silence and apart.
14. “Hope smiles on the threshold of the year to come, whispering ‘it will be happier.’” —Alfred Tennyson
Are you at the point where you dare to feel hope? Embrace this feeling and permit yourself to feel happiness. It may come in less than a year, or it may take several.
15. “The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.” —Khalil Gibran
We love this quote. Perhaps you can feel more joy in the simpler things of life now that you have experienced the grief that comes with death.
16. “Her absence is like the sky, spread over everything.” —C.S. Lewis
We know we have another quote by Lewis on this list, but we love what he has to say about grief. Anyone who’s read “A Grief Observed” can tell how deeply Lewis loved his wife, Helen.
17. “I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are evil.” —J.R.R. Tolkien
J.R.R. Tolkien wrote these words in The Return of the King.
18. “Death ends a life, not a relationship.” —Mitch Albom
You will probably feel connected to your husband forever, even if you choose to remarry someday. Death can’t change your memories and experiences. Albom wrote Tuesdays With Morrie.
19. “They that loved beyond the world cannot be separated by it. Death cannot kill what never dies.” —William Penn
Does it bring you solace knowing that your love can never die?
20. “What we once enjoyed and deeply loved we can never lose, for all that we love deeply becomes part of us.” —Helen Keller
Your husband is a part of you. That can never change, even after death.
When Words Matter
The anniversary of the loss of a loved one can be painful. You may consider planning a special event on the anniversary of your husband’s death. Even if the event is a quiet commemorative dinner with your children or your husband’s siblings, you may feel better being with a few others on this day.
Know that your friends and other family members may be struggling with what to say on the death anniversary. Know that most of the time their comments come out of love and concern.