Bard Lindeman was 42 when his wife of 16 years died following exploratory surgery.  "Without a clear warning, without even a foreboding; I was suddenly alone," Lindeman recalled.  "Rather, I was "alone" with our three children.  In the most terrible moment of my life, I brought them together in our family room and I heard myself say, 'Mom didn't make it.  She died."

The Lindeman children were 8, 12 and 15 years old, and the author of the In Your Prime column has said: "We four have lived through our grief and our confusion -- months of deep, numbing hurt.  Janet, Paul, Les and I drew closer as a family, finding strength in one another and in our home life, which was built upon our uncommon unity."

Lindeman's purpose, in this single issue newsletter, is to address the subject of loneliness, the idea of being alone and coping.  He believes that the man or woman alone "must begin by helping himself or herself.  Only then can this single person reasonably expect help, and support, from others."