Healing Through Loss
- Lifestyle expert Kelly Rizzo, 44, is honoring her late husband Bob Saget on what would have been the legendary comedian’s 68th birthday in a sweet tribute on Instagram.
- The Comfort Food host, who is known for her award-winning brand and blog Eat Travel Rock, talks a lot about grief on her new podcast and is open about a new relationship she started two years after losing Saget.
- A widower in our SurvivorNet community has talked about the difference between “moving forward” and “moving on.” It is absolutely acceptable to cherish memories, love and honor your past love while at the same time finding new love. Every individual’s journey with grief is different and should be respected.
- It is important to have someone to talk to while you are navigating feelings of grief or experiencing feelings of guilt as you continue to live your life. Don’t be afraid to lean on family, friends, and/or speak with a mental health professional — and be sure to check out SurvivorNet’s mental health guide for helpful information and resources to aid you in your healing journey.
The lifestyle expert and podcast host, who is known for her award-winning brand and blog Eat Travel Rock, talks a lot about grief in her new show, Comfort Food. Lately, one of the topics Rizzo has been sharing about is dating someone new after loss, as Rizzo recently announced a new relationships just over two years after losing her love after a tragic accident.
Read MoreIn the clip that Rizzo shared from one of his past birthdays, Saget is smiling as he’s presented a giant slice of birthday cake. “How’d you pull this is off?” He asked his wife, who replied with a sweet and sassy, “I’m sneaky!”
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“I will tell you a cute story about this night,” Rizzo continued with the memory. “See the little band-aid on his arm? During dinner he got a mosquito bite and kept scratching it until it bled… so he went up to the front desk and like four different restaurant workers frantically got him a Band-Aid and they all put the Band-Aid on him as if they were performing surgery-and it caused such a scene- and he came back to the table with this little Band-Aid and we both laughed because it was so silly.”
The pair had met in 2015 and married three years later at Shutters on the Beach hotel in Santa Monica, California, not far from where they lived together in L.A.’s Brentwood neighborhood.
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Along with Rizzo, Saget is also survived by his three daughters, Aubrey, Lara and Jennifer, whom he shared with his ex-wife, Sherri Kramer.
Before Rizzo announced her new dating status, she discussed it with the girls, who she said supported her decision.
“It’s wonderful, it just meant so much to have their blessing,” Rizzo told E! News in February. “They’re just angels. And to have them support is so meaningful.”
Most importantly, she felt that Saget would approve. “It took awhile to get to the point where I’m like, Ok, I think he’d be happy with it.”
Rizzo, who has a birthday just two days after Saget’s, is on her way to Tokyo to celebrate her 45th birthday on May 19.
Coping with Losing a Spouse: Everyone’s Journey Is Different
It’s important to note that the grieving and recovery process after losing a loved one, especially a partner, is definitely not a “one-and-done” process, many members of the SurvivorNet community have shared. One widower said that the idea of “moving on” is not realistic, or even desired. However, he does believe in “moving forward.”
RELATED: Tools To Navigate Grief And Shame—Dr. Marianna Strongin Addresses These Topics
“I don’t even think I want to move on,” Doug Wendt, who lost his wife of 25 years to ovarian cancer, previously told SurvivorNet. “But I do want to move forward, and that’s an important distinction. I encourage anyone who goes through this journey as a caregiver who then has to face loss to think very carefully about how to move forward.”
‘I Don’t Want to Move On; I Do Want To Move Forward’: Doug Wendt On Losing His Wife to Cancer
The process is highly personal for each individual, and choosing when or with whom to move on or move forward with is their decision alone.
Just know that it is possible to find love again and still honor and cherish the love with someone you’ve lost.
Moving Forward
As for Rizzo, the foodie announced in February she is dating Clueless actor Breckin Meyer, 50.
The Chicago native has expressed how supportive Meyer has been and that he’ll even ask and encourage her to share memories about Saget, which is healthy to find in a new partner.
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After Saget’s death, journalist Katie Couric was able to connect with Rizzo and related to what she was going through, as she lost her husband and father of her children, Jay Monahan, over 25 years ago to cancer.
Couric has inspired many with her own story of finding love after loss. She married financier John Molner, 61, in 2014.
In the news media, there was somewhat of a stigma around Couric as she began to date again with a lot of tabloid coverage of her relationships, which Couric talked about in her book, Going There.
RELATED: Katie Couric Throws Husband A Major 60th Birthday Party– Celebrating After Cancer And Loss
On her social media, Rizzo has shared that she has had her own fair share of trolling at times with people commenting over her new relationship … but the online trolls will comment on just about anything. Always follow your heart and release any guilt you may be feeling.
Tools to Navigate Grief
The five stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.
According to Dr. Marianna Strongin, these labels are tools to help us frame and identify what you may be feeling. They are not linear and can occur in a variety of ways.
As you find yourself experiencing some of these stages, it is important to remember that the emotions you are feeling are meaningful yet temporary. If you approach them with compassion, kindness and eventually acceptance, you will come away from this period in your life more connected to your resilience and strength.
A Guided Meditation for the SurvivorNet Community
One trick to learning to accept less than optimal news is to keep Dr. Tara Brach‘s acronym RAIN in mind.
RAIN stands for: RECOGNIZE and pause to notice; ALLOW, or accept your current experience; INVESTIGATE, by pinpointing what is happening in your mind and body; then NURTURE, by bringing compassion to yourself.
It is important to have someone to talk to while you are navigating any of these feelings. In the meantime, be sure to check out SurvivorNet’s mental health guide for helpful information and resources.
SurvivorNet wishes Kelly Rizzo much happiness and continued healing. Happy Birthday, Bob.
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