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Living Without the One You Cannot Live Without: Hope and Healing after Loss
From the first, life-changing terminal diagnosis to a new way of life as a widow, the deeply moving journey of mourning a beloved spouse’s death is the subject of Natasha Josefowitz’s candid, uplifting collection of poems, Living Without the One You Cannot Live Without. Drawing from her own personal experiences navigating the grief of this seemingly unbearable loss, the author’s tender and thoughtful perspective is certain to offer hope and healing to anyone who is embarking on his or her own journey of grief and healing process, regardless of age and life stage. With rich insight and raw honesty, Living Without the One You Cannot Live Without guides the reader from mourning to recovery, using simple, relatable poetry that casts an unflinching eye on the day-to-day experiences entailed with losing a loved one. The collection starts with a diagnosis of cancer and travels through the moments experienced in doctors' offices, hospice care, the funeral, and on to the reality of a life alone. Examining the grief process chronologically, the poems progress from the painful early days to the second year, when healing has occurred. The book then culminates with a strong message of hope, as the grieving person emerges once again as a self-sufficient, confident person who is facing the next adventure life has to offer. Natasha Josefowitz was inspired to put her poems on paper by her own experience with the death of her husband, as well as the grief she witnessed among so many of her friends. She now endeavors to help others who are confronting the unimaginable end of a central relationship. With compassion, clarity, and profound humanity, Living Without the One You Cannot Live Without is certain to offer solace and support to those who are bereft, and who will benefit from empathy and emotional connection as they work through their own grief toward help and healing.
- GenresPoetry
109 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 23, 2013
37 people are currently reading
77 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 8, 2025
This is a little book I gave to my Primary Care Physician to pass on to any Senior patient going through severe grief over the loss of a long-time partner.
Seniors often have a more difficult time functioning after their loss.
Their children, if any, are grown. Possibly living far away. They are usually retired. They may no longer be able to drive.
They may have worked with their loved one as a team. Each makes up for what the other may lack due to age.
With the loss, the loneliness and lack of distractions take over.
The silence of their home is deafening.
I watched Natasha Josefowitz on YouTube three years ago.
She gave a poignant lecture reading her "poems" about life without her husband.
They had been married 58 years.
Her lecture is still available to watch.
Natasha passed away in 2023 at 96 years old.
These poems are inspirational, humorous, heart rendering, and filled with a deep understanding
of the grief process of human loss of a deep bond forged over a lifetime.
Seniors often have a more difficult time functioning after their loss.
Their children, if any, are grown. Possibly living far away. They are usually retired. They may no longer be able to drive.
They may have worked with their loved one as a team. Each makes up for what the other may lack due to age.
With the loss, the loneliness and lack of distractions take over.
The silence of their home is deafening.
I watched Natasha Josefowitz on YouTube three years ago.
She gave a poignant lecture reading her "poems" about life without her husband.
They had been married 58 years.
Her lecture is still available to watch.
Natasha passed away in 2023 at 96 years old.
These poems are inspirational, humorous, heart rendering, and filled with a deep understanding
of the grief process of human loss of a deep bond forged over a lifetime.
April 12, 2014
I totally got absorbed in this book of poetry. It is written not by a pen, or computer but by a heart. Every poem expresses raw emotion, exposure to a deeply grieving soul and the truthful expression of what it is like to lose a very part of you in a beloved husband and partner of 35 years. Natasha Josefowitz, an 87- year- old very active and vibrant woman loses her self-confidence and meaning to her life because her loss is so profound. Here is a sample of her musings:
Lost in the Periphery
After my husband died
I was no longer the centre of anyone's life
nor is anyone
the centre of mine
family and friends
are supportive and comforting
but they are peripheral
as I am peripheral
in their lives
they can continue
without me
as I am supposed
to continue
without him
without the one person
I cannot live without
In the book Natasha poignantly documents the painful first year after her beloved's death. She describes life with him in the hospice, his ongoing imminent deterioration and his torturous funeral after he finally succumbs to that murderer, namely, cancer. In the aftermath of his passing she finds herself in a sea of loneliness and pain that lasts every second of the day and far into the night. She exposes her struggle to come to terms with being single once again and having meaning and purpose in her life one more time. " I miss him /rustling the newspapers/ in the room next door/ his voice on the phone/ I always knew which of the children/ he was talking to." Natasha realizes she has to re-establish herself and re-invent herself while a vital part of her is clearly missing - gone forever. She successfully manages to do just that, knowing deep down inside of her it will be a long agonizing journey to make herself whole. Her poems are living proof that it can be done. I am sure her book will bring comfort and solace to those finding themselves in a similar situation. Natasha walks the grieving soul through the torment and agony of the loss but then offers her hope and inspires the mourner to carry on, press on and find the colourful rainbow hidden within that heavy veil of black clouds surrounding her. I highly recommend this insightful, heartfelt book.
Healing
When one is in the middle
of pain
it is impossible to envisage
a time without it
yet that time comes
unexpectedly
surprising me
by its suddenness
from an agonizingly
slow healing
to a world of brighter colours
to a lighter step
to being whole again
there is an old saying that
when someone you love dies,
the main difference is
that he is no longer
outside of you,
he is inside
I have incorporated him
I am poorer for the lack
of his physical presence
but I have become richer
by his continuing to exist
in me
Lost in the Periphery
After my husband died
I was no longer the centre of anyone's life
nor is anyone
the centre of mine
family and friends
are supportive and comforting
but they are peripheral
as I am peripheral
in their lives
they can continue
without me
as I am supposed
to continue
without him
without the one person
I cannot live without
In the book Natasha poignantly documents the painful first year after her beloved's death. She describes life with him in the hospice, his ongoing imminent deterioration and his torturous funeral after he finally succumbs to that murderer, namely, cancer. In the aftermath of his passing she finds herself in a sea of loneliness and pain that lasts every second of the day and far into the night. She exposes her struggle to come to terms with being single once again and having meaning and purpose in her life one more time. " I miss him /rustling the newspapers/ in the room next door/ his voice on the phone/ I always knew which of the children/ he was talking to." Natasha realizes she has to re-establish herself and re-invent herself while a vital part of her is clearly missing - gone forever. She successfully manages to do just that, knowing deep down inside of her it will be a long agonizing journey to make herself whole. Her poems are living proof that it can be done. I am sure her book will bring comfort and solace to those finding themselves in a similar situation. Natasha walks the grieving soul through the torment and agony of the loss but then offers her hope and inspires the mourner to carry on, press on and find the colourful rainbow hidden within that heavy veil of black clouds surrounding her. I highly recommend this insightful, heartfelt book.
Healing
When one is in the middle
of pain
it is impossible to envisage
a time without it
yet that time comes
unexpectedly
surprising me
by its suddenness
from an agonizingly
slow healing
to a world of brighter colours
to a lighter step
to being whole again
there is an old saying that
when someone you love dies,
the main difference is
that he is no longer
outside of you,
he is inside
I have incorporated him
I am poorer for the lack
of his physical presence
but I have become richer
by his continuing to exist
in me
May 7, 2014
"Little by little I learn the strategies of survival."
Whether you have recently lost someone, are about to or are still suffering from loss long ago, this book will give you the peace of knowing that someone else understands what you are going through.
Natasha Josefowitz put her heart and soul into these very touching and heartfelt poems. You can feel her sense of loss radiating through the words she has penned. This book will not leave you with a dry eye after reading it.
What I liked most about these poems, was the honesty of the author. From simple things, like being unable to open a bottle of wine or have someone to talk to in the evenings, to the bigger more traumatic memories of loss, Natasha relates what a powerful and life changing thing losing someone you love is.
This book is more than just poetry, it is a window into the world of a woman who loved and lost, but is living to tell about it.
Highly recommended.
Whether you have recently lost someone, are about to or are still suffering from loss long ago, this book will give you the peace of knowing that someone else understands what you are going through.
Natasha Josefowitz put her heart and soul into these very touching and heartfelt poems. You can feel her sense of loss radiating through the words she has penned. This book will not leave you with a dry eye after reading it.
What I liked most about these poems, was the honesty of the author. From simple things, like being unable to open a bottle of wine or have someone to talk to in the evenings, to the bigger more traumatic memories of loss, Natasha relates what a powerful and life changing thing losing someone you love is.
This book is more than just poetry, it is a window into the world of a woman who loved and lost, but is living to tell about it.
Highly recommended.
August 3, 2016
Beautifully written collection of heart touching poetry. These each speak directly to the soul as heart touching poems with such passion and sensitivity. There is absolutely nothing negative to be said about this gem of a book. Everyone experiences loss. Regardless of how a person deals with a loss, this book makes a wonderful companion to help through the healing process. I love this book. I am so grateful to have been able to read a copy thanks to STRATEGIES Literary Public Relations. This in no way influenced my opinion, which may not mirror your own.
July 23, 2023
This is a short book of 93 pages, with each page sharing how the weight of grief affects every single action in living without her other half, Josefowitz writes her emotions and thoughts on how each aspect of her life, and how nothing remains the same and how the most menial parts of daily life are no longer the same. Written in freeverse style – not so much poetry as sharing her thoughts on what life is now like as she grows from grieving to finally learning how to move her grief and continue living by learning to live with her lost husband ‘in her heart’, as final acceptance. She shares with us her own stories that many grievers can nod their heads to in confirmation as we know exactly of every word, emotion, and trigger us grievers endure while trying to make some semblance of our new lives.
“Familiarity has gone strange,” says Natasha. She speaks of things that are new that were once the mundane and part of life – things left in drawers – “objects from an ongoing life interrupted midstream by death”, chores that are now hers, time – “There is a constant presence of his absence, he is everywhere, yet nowhere…”, long nights alone, no one to share her daily grind with, talking to her dead husband, progression of time not easing all the missing, the wrong things people say to us, no more intimate sharing of food, stories, secrets, love, and she speaks of the gratitude for single friends, as ‘widows are no longer invited for dinner by couples’. Everything in this book are a cycle of a new life she didn’t ask for, and so relatable for anyone who has ever loved and lost.
“Familiarity has gone strange,” says Natasha. She speaks of things that are new that were once the mundane and part of life – things left in drawers – “objects from an ongoing life interrupted midstream by death”, chores that are now hers, time – “There is a constant presence of his absence, he is everywhere, yet nowhere…”, long nights alone, no one to share her daily grind with, talking to her dead husband, progression of time not easing all the missing, the wrong things people say to us, no more intimate sharing of food, stories, secrets, love, and she speaks of the gratitude for single friends, as ‘widows are no longer invited for dinner by couples’. Everything in this book are a cycle of a new life she didn’t ask for, and so relatable for anyone who has ever loved and lost.
June 16, 2022
Ease of reading and insightful
Wisdom shared and examples that touched my experiences and heart. This was a very enjoyable reading experience and I am grieving the loss of my wife and it was comforting and we share similar moments as I read through her story, many thanks!!
Wisdom shared and examples that touched my experiences and heart. This was a very enjoyable reading experience and I am grieving the loss of my wife and it was comforting and we share similar moments as I read through her story, many thanks!!
July 22, 2022
Much needed read for widows
This book was so timely. The author's poems hit so many feelings I have recently losing my husband if 30 years. Feelings conveyed in powerful, healing poems. A good read for widows who recently loss their spouse.
This book was so timely. The author's poems hit so many feelings I have recently losing my husband if 30 years. Feelings conveyed in powerful, healing poems. A good read for widows who recently loss their spouse.
May 13, 2022
Excellent read for any widow
Natasha writes succinctly about all of the jumbled emotions of losing the love of your life. I hope one day to get to that whole person she has become.
Natasha writes succinctly about all of the jumbled emotions of losing the love of your life. I hope one day to get to that whole person she has become.
January 10, 2023
I so needed this.
I didn't know that someone knew what I was going through, of how I was feeling. Its like MS Josefowitz was speaking what was in my head. I don't know if I'm there yet, but this book gave me hope that I will.
I didn't know that someone knew what I was going through, of how I was feeling. Its like MS Josefowitz was speaking what was in my head. I don't know if I'm there yet, but this book gave me hope that I will.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews