Confessions of an Inspired Wining "Widower"

My wife, Michelle, is one of the six amazing women who formed Inspired Wining. I have to admit, when I first heard that their monthly gatherings would include charitable goals and projects, I thought to myself: “Yeah, right. I’m fine with you getting together with your friends once a month. You don’t have to pretend that there’s anything more to it than wine-drinking and the occasional man-bashing session.”

Boy, was I wrong! What these women have accomplished is incredible. Not only have they forged deep and lasting friendships while having a lot of fun together, they have worked tirelessly to raise money and awareness in the fight against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and to inspire other women to unite for a common charitable purpose. 

All of the Inspired Winers lead extremely busy lives with kids, jobs, and Church and volunteer activities, but they nevertheless find the time and energy to make a significant contribution to a worthy cause. What a great example for their children! And, frankly, what a great example for their husbands. To paraphrase Jack Nicholson in “As Good as it Gets,” you make us want to be better men.

[As an aside, I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I’ve seen “As Good as it Gets.” Of course, that movie did have a few good scenes with Helen Hunt in her prime, but I digress . . . .]

So, I hope I can speak for the other “Widowers” (Bobby, John, Kevin, and Scott) when I say: Ladies, all of your time with Inspired Wining has been worth it, and we support you 100%. If that means some extra “Mr. Mom” time for us, that’s fine, and that’s good for us and for the kids anyway.

Know these things to be true: You make a difference for PPMD. You inspire each other, you inspire other women, you inspire your children, and you inspire us. We are proud of you.

P.S. Maybe the guys will get together sooner or later and form a similar group of our own. Although, I’m not sure Inspired Bourboning has quite the same ring to it.

Stu Gauffreau is General Counsel for a software company and a Colonel in the Army Reserve. He enjoys spending time with Michelle and their two children and the occasional half-jog/half-limp around the neighborhood.