After losing her husband of 47 years in 2013, Sarah Hurd-Williams wondered what other widows did to celebrate Valentine’s Day. “I did not want to just sit around and mope. So, I reached out to other women like me who had experienced loss and were approaching their first Valentine’s Day alone,” she said.
As it turned out, there weren’t any viable options that sparked her interest. Not satisfied with the idea of sitting at home and letting the day go by, Hurd-Williams spoke with several women to see if they would be interested in spending time celebrating and encouraging one another. From that moment, word spread like wildfire.
By February 2014, the idea had blossomed into a full-fledged conference, at which Hurd-Williams served as speaker. More than 60 women gathered at a community clubhouse in Decatur. It was there the “Let Your Heart Beat Again” conference was born. Now in its 11th year, the 2024 conference was recently held at the Atlanta Evergreen Marriott in Stone Mountain Park.
Credit: Courtesy of Sarah Hurd-Williams
Credit: Courtesy of Sarah Hurd-Williams
Mending the broken places
It took a lot of courage for Hurd-Williams to move on after the loss of her husband, Bobby Hurd. Whether it is grief, trauma, a foiled opportunity or any setback, she said she believes everyone can be restored and find hope to move forward.
“We have more in us than what we are experiencing,” she said. “And we can live again.”
Through personal experience, Hurd-Williams teaches others the practice of learning to live again. “The idea behind the conference wasn’t really about marriage, it was about life and how to keep going,” she said.
As more people began hearing about the impact the event was having, non-widows began inquiring whether they could also attend.
“Some shared that their husbands had cheated on them, and they were stuck in their pain,” Hurd-Williams said. “Others shared they had been on a job for years, had given it their all, only to be let go.
“Wherever a person’s clock stopped is what we want to address,” she said. “People just go on living, but they are not reaching their fullest potential because they are not allowing their heart to beat again.”
The power of encouragement
A licensed and ordained minister and talk show host, Hurd-Williams appeared as a guest on a television program where she talked about the many testimonials she had received from previous attendees. Later, a man who had been in the audience was inspired to ask whether men could attend.
Today, men, women and couples use the encouragement they receive through the conference as a springboard to jumpstart their dreams, relationships and even to boost their self-worth.
“Everybody comes now,” Hurd-Williams said. “Young folk, middle aged and seasoned people. It has been life changing.”
“I went to this conference thinking I would just be supportive of the other women and men who were looking to feel their heart beat again,” said Nicole Hodo, who attended the 2023 conference. “I was not a widow, nor divorced. As a matter of fact, I attended the conference with my husband of 20 years. It was there I found my heartbeat.”
Credit: Courtesy of Sarah Hurd-Williams
Credit: Courtesy of Sarah Hurd-Williams
The shift
Several years ago, Hurd-Williams made a new friend. The two women found they had a lot in common. “We both liked clothes and we loved to dress, so we became friends,” she said.
The woman and her husband, Robert Williams, were both in ministry. Realizing Hurd-Williams hosted the television show “In the Word with Sarah Hurd,” the woman asked if her husband could appear as a guest. Hurd-Williams obliged and interviewed them both. A few months later, her new friend died suddenly.
Hurd-Williams eventually asked Williams if he would be interested in being a guest on her show again. Then a widow, he could certainly relate to the topic.
Williams accepted the invitation and decided to attend the conference for the first time. Because of the pandemic, the conference was held virtually. Hurd-Williams jokingly announced, as she had done in previous years, that she was without a partner once again for Valentines Day. “Women, we are going to Dollar Tree to buy ourselves some flowers and candy!” she said.
That sounded like an invitation to Williams. He purchased a card, balloons and chocolate-covered strawberries. Not knowing where Hurd-Williams lived, he secretly dropped the flowers off at the church she attended. “I thought that would be it and I would go off to the wild blue yonder,” he said.
Hurd-Williams remembers the card’s inscription, “If the ribbon fits, wear it!” When she called to thank Williams for the gesture, she said, “The ribbon fits and I’m wearing it well.”
Williams admits he was interested in getting to know Hurd-Williams better, but assumed she had several suitors vying for her attention. “I knew I would have to be on my Ps and Qs and would be up against stiff competition. I didn’t have much swag, but I was a Morehouse man and a man of God, so I had a lot of confidence,” he said.
Although Williams had been actively dating, the people he found were simply too far away. He planned to marry again and even prayed about it. “God, I need someone close by who I can see on a regular basis and get to know,” he said. As fate would have it, Hurd-Williams lived only two minutes away.
The two would eventually go to lunch to celebrate Williams’ 74th birthday. He was moved by the words in the card, which read, “You are a good man.”
“Although he will never admit it,” she said, “I saw a few tears in his eyes.” That day, they talked for hours.
A welcome surprise
The two said they consider Hurd-Williams’ 72nd birthday, two months after Williams’ 74th, their official first date.
From that day on, the two were nearly inseparable. A month later, Williams popped the question at dinner. Hurd-Williams asked him to repeat the question, then said, “Now write it on the ticket.” He did, and she signed, “Yes!”
It was the receipt from dinner, and she shared a photo of it with close family and friends to announce their engagement. She still has the receipt in her phone.
The couple wed Oct. 3, 2021. Today, they are reviving hope together, and Williams continues to pastor. To learn more about “Let Your Heart Beat Again,” visit www.timeinthewordwithsarahhurd.com.
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