Nice to meet you. 

Hi. I’m Sandi Amorello. Artist. Writer. Mother. Widow… and the original Girl Scout Dropout. Right about now, you may be wondering how this whole thing came to be.

Well, here goes.

I thought I had a perfectly imperfect life: married to my handsome, adoring college sweetheart, three wonderful children, a house in the suburbs, a picket fence, two cats, a dwarf hamster and a goldfish.

Then my husband was diagnosed with terminal cancer shortly after his 40^th birthday, and my world turned upside down in a way I’d only read about in novels, or seen on a tear-jerker Hallmark made-for-TV-movie. He died the morning after Christmas, and his funeral was on New Year’s Eve. Our children were 4,7 and 9. I was 41. Enough said.

In the midst of this gut-wrenching tragedy, I realized I was more fortunate than most: I could still laugh. You see, humor and an irreverent take on life have always been part of who I am, and even as a widow, they still are.

So, in 2007, I created The Irreverent Widow Project, which is an art exhibit, stories, videos, a website (irreverentwidow.com) and a blog that are meant to inspire, connect, educate, entertain and heal. But in addition to being an irreverent widow, I am also a Girl Scout Dropout. These two things are indeed connected...but I don’t feel the need to pay a psychologist to figure it out for me at the moment.

You see, I wasn’t always the perfect Girl Scout. In fact, I was pretty bad at it. But, if the Girl Scouts had a badge for the successful navigation of life altering experiences that might otherwise kill a lesser woman, I would’ve earned it, many times over. I’m sure you’ve earned yours, too.  We all need our own stash of badges. To remind us of where we’ve been, what we’ve survived and what we’ve accomplished. To remind us of how brave and amazing we are. 

Which is why I launched Girl Scout Dropout – it’s for me, for you, for us. Life is brief. And, perhaps most importantly, life is about change…and surrounding yourself with people who can laugh and cry right along with you.

A portion of the proceeds from Girl Scout Dropout goes to The Irreverent Widow Project Fund because “you shouldn’t have to pay to grieve.”  A fact I became convinced of back in 2003, after being asked for my credit card number so I could attend a grief support group for young widows. My wallet could afford it. My heart could not. Talk about being kicked when you’re down. No one should have to supply a credit card number to climb up out of the depths of hell.

I’d much rather try to laugh my way out.

Thanks for joining us.