Deepest sympathy to you and your family.
Still thinking of you and wishing you all the best, silenus.
Best wishes during such a difficult time. Take everything slowly.
All my sympathies. 
I’ll be thinking of you. This would be my worst nightmare.
Eä. Let these things Be.
—Eru
Virtual hugs sent your way. So very sorry.
One week in. The training wheels on being alone come off tomorrow, when the last of family goes back home. Then it’s just me and the cats. We’ll see how that goes. I haven’t been alone in 15 years.
Going in to school this morning to tell them I will be returning to the classroom Monday. Having to get up to speed and teach exclusively on-line will be a challenge that will keep me occupied and focused for at least 6 hours a day. This is A Good Thing. Lots of people have volunteered to be a phone lifeline as needed, but most live on the East Coast, which makes me calling at 11pm my time kinda rude, no matter what they say.
You late-nighters and folks on the other side of the planet may see this thread pop up at weird times. Feel free to engage. I’ll need the distraction.
On the suggestion of several people and my therapist, I’ve started a blog to record my feelings and fears and shit like that. We’ll see what a year or so of that does.
Thanks again to everybody for your support and best wishes. It means a lot.
Keeping yourself busy can do nothing but help. Being alone inside your head with nothing to do but dwell is a short path to overwhelming despair.
You should have a lot of support and willing and able participants at nearly any time here!
I’m glad to hear you have a therapist.
I am hoping that you get through the initial mourning period without undue problems, but if you start to have problems sleeping, or functioning on your own, please please let your therapist know. There’s quite a toolkit out there to help you if you need it. If you don’t need it - great. But don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it.
Meanwhile - keep busy. You may find you need extra rest. It’s important to take care of yourself physically as the impact of a loss like this can affect you physically as well as emotionally.
Meanwhile - we’re here for you, when you need us.
Take care of yourself, silenus. I hope that your school prep and teaching help to keep you busy and dull the pain a bit.
I’m not sure what sort of leave arrangements your school district allows for, but if you find it difficult to cope with the work and think that you need some more time off, I highly recommend taking some more leave if that’s available to you.
Being alone in the house, when you haven’t been for years, can feel really really weird for a while. If you can’t sleep the first night or so, don’t worry about it; just get up for a while and do something. It’ll start to feel more normal as time passes.
I have sick leave out the wazoo. The District gives one week of Bereavement leave, and then I took two weeks of sick leave. Time to get back in the saddle and earn a living. But yes, I have plenty of sick time to use if it gets overwhelming. One good thing about going back to work is that a good friend is one of our counselors and has offered her office and shoulder to cry on and her expertise in these things for me to use as needed. Since my therapist is in Arizona and we communicate by phone and text, having a meat counselor nearby is handy. Hell, even my principal has offered to be a person I can talk to or yell at as needs be. There is a ton of support. I just have to use it and stop being afraid that I am too weak. I’m not, and it’s time to prove it.
Thanks for the update, man. We’re all pulling for you!
Yes we’re pulling for you!
A strong man can admit when he needs help.
Loss of a spouse is one of the top stressors in life. Even if you can tough it out there is no reason you are required to do that.
Late night is my speciality-bring it on.
Keeping busy may help you maintain your sanity silenus Stil, don’t be shy about asking for help as needed. Hugs.
Silenus, I’m sure you’re being bombarded with lots of advice. Here’s some more: 
When my wife passed, I joined a grief group (on the recommendation of our hospice provider)…a half-dozen or so people with various losses in their life, that met weekly for an hour. I went for several weeks and then decided I was done – but it was really quite helpful.
Other side of the planet (Switzerland) checking in on Friday morning. Somebody will have a light on.