I'm Emily P. Freeman and welcome to the next right thing.

You're listening to episode 274.

This is a podcast about making decisions and about making a life.

If you struggle with decision fatigue, chronic hesitation, or if you just need a few minutes

away from the constant stream of information, and the sometimes delightful but also distracting

hum of entertainment, you're in the right place for discerning your next right thing.

Today I'm glad to welcome one of my dear, in real life, local friends to the show.

Her name is Anna Kimbro and she has a master's in education.

She spent most of her life teaching from preschool to high school, both in nonprofit and public

school settings.

Anna lives here in my town with her family.

John and I have been friends with Anna and her husband Tripp for many years, attending

small group together and navigating the usual difficulties and joys of parenting kids

who were around the same age.

Anna and Tripp met when they were both students at Chapel Hill and were married for 23 years

until in the spring of 2020, Tripp died after complications with a biopsy.

Tripp's death was a devastating loss for our little community and personally for our

family.

But of course, no one feels that loss more acutely than his wife Anna.

Now it's three years later and I'm sitting down with her to talk about the difficulty

and heartbreak of making decisions alone after losing your person, as well as some of the

hope she's received along the way.

...