It Must Have Been Moonglow and Shedding Years by Phyllis Greene (two titles)

Review by Vicki Carver

It is a well documented fact that women live longer than men. A visit to a senior citizen’s center, retirement center or nursing home verifies this statistic.

Phyllis Greene is a woman living in Columbus, Ohio who lost her beloved husband Bob in December 1998. Since that time she has written two books about her life. The first book is called It Must Have Been Moonglow, published in 2001 which deals with Greene’s life following her husband’s death. Because her first book received so much acclaim and affirmation Greene decided to write a second book. Shedding Years was published in 2003 and explains how Greene’s life has changed as she has further adjusted to being on her own after being happily married for 56 years.

These books do not give specific guidelines as to how to adjust to losing a life partner. However, each chapter in each book relays experiences Greene has had and how they helped her through the grieving process and eventual establishment of herself as a single woman.

Her descriptions of specific thoughts and feelings are poignant for anyone of any age. In It Must Have Been Moonglow she describes being alone on page 30. She writes, “There are days when the stillness is so still that I hear a clock ticking even when there is no clock in the room.” Sometimes hearing a particular song evokes memories which bring forth tears. Old TV shows can also be difficult to watch.

One aspect of life which Greene discusses is changes in sleeping patterns. She rarely sleeps through the night and reads on and on through the night. Sometimes she tries to remember special moments with her husband to help her ease back to sleep.

Greene has established many contacts through Internet chat rooms for widows as well as e-mailing. She believes that having a home computer is a great way to stay in contact with the outside world. Communicating with other widows has benefited Greene on dealing with her loneliness. The women discuss the day-to-day adjustments they have had to make as well as issues such as health care and maintaining financial security.

Both books are fast-reading and offer much comfort and support to any woman who is adjusting to living alone and attempting to find happiness as a single person.