Again… and Again… and Again…

Hi all…

Today is the first day of a reoccurring nightmare that seems to happen again… and again… and again. I feel like I am caught in a downward spiral that has no bottom. No end. No light. I keep thinking that eventually I will be able to find my way back to my own heart, but I am still lost. Lost. Lost in the pain of again…

Yesterday, November 18, 2020 was the last day I was allowed to hold my husband’s hand, stroke his face, kiss his forehead. It was the last day his oldest brother was allowed to visit him. Visitation at the VA hospice unit where my husband is has been suspended. Again. I was told I would be able to stay with him and not allowed to leave the building if the VA decided to stop visitation, but that information was false. I would stay in his room, not leaving at all until he passes away, therefore not exposing myself to Coronavirus. But no, I can only see him when he’s down to “hours” left to live. Hours. By that point I assume he won’t know who I am, he won’t know I’m there and he will die thinking he was alone. The suspension of visitation defies logic, but then again, I understand it. If I, as the spouse of a dying veteran, am prohibited from visiting because of potential exposure, what about the staff? Don’t they leave the building? Go home? Shop for groceries? Who are they potentially exposed to when not at work? Can’t they carry the virus and not know it? All the same things that happen to the families of the hospice patients can happen to a staff person, right? We’re all human and have to live, but denying hospice patients human contact from their loved ones seems beyond cruel. My husband cries, a lot. When asked what I think about how to help him find a way to keep him from being so sad, I always told them, let him see his family more. He’s lonely. He’s dying from loneliness. Literally.

As I sit here at my computer, the tears don’t stop. I continue to cry without even knowing it now. I am beyond crushed in spirit, my heart completely shattered into nothingness. I know I shouldn’t feel guilt, but I do. I should be there right now, holding his hand, playing music for him, wiping his face to keep his beard and mustache free from being sticky with food, or nasal discharge. I would wash his face every day and then comb out whatever debris was stuck to his facial hair. Seems like something I shouldn’t worry about, right? I do. He deserves to be kept clean, and he is, but this kind of thing is not something the staff of hospice should have to do. Especially when I want to do it for him. Who will sit and pray with him? Who will whisper that it’s okay to go be with his Daddy, or to hug my Daddy around the neck when he seems him again. The staff of hospice don’t know the small intimacies shared between my husband and me on a daily basis. The songs I would play for him have meaning to us both, the playlists are personal. Who will turn the TV off or on? Make sure that channel 64 is on? Who will turn the volume down when it’s too loud?

I just can’t seem to make any sense of the why behind the decisions being made anymore. Why is it okay to make the sick and elderly die alone? Why is it okay that lack of leadership and lack of personal responsibility determine that my husband be dying from loneliness? I have tried for many months to figure out how human kind can care so little for their fellow human beings, and I am no closer to an answer today than I was when I was banned from seeing him back in March. Should I be grateful that I got to see him from August 30 thru yesterday? I am, but not in the way people seem to think I should be. I only got to see him because I pushed for him to be admitted to the hospital from the long term care home he was in. By the time I got to see him, he and the Grim Reaper were dance partners. Had I not insisted he be admitted to the hospital, I never would have known how sick he was. How much the forced isolation took from him. From all of us.

I am grateful that I am part of this group of people I call family. It breaks my heart to know that so many of us will soon lose the husband, father, Poppy, brother, father-in-love, uncle, friend and man that we all love. Some of us have had the chance to say goodbye to him, and some haven’t. I’ve said I love you to him so many times over throughout our lives together, I know he knows I love him. To know that our children have had to say goodbye to their beloved Daddy is beyond painful, but knowing that they have to explain to their children that Poppy is gone, is excruciating. Our three year old grandson is his Poppy’s heart, they all are, but the three year old? How do you tell him his hero is gone? No child should have to know that kind of pain…

I keep telling myself that I will be okay again, but I don’t really believe that anymore. I know we shouldn’t ask the age old question “What else can happen?,” but I do. I ask that because I truly believe there is no end to the suffering I am experiencing. At one point I thought I would be able to salvage some of myself and start over, now I’m so completely broken, there is nothing left to salvage. I am melancholy. I am bereft. I am floundering in a world that holds no joy for me right now. Joy. Something I have firmly believed in. Until yesterday. I believe in God, but do not consider myself a christian, just a believer. Christianity is not kind, I am. Or at least I try to be. Christianity is full of hateful people that think I am not child of the God because I don’t think like they do. I pray. Constantly. I believe that prayer is helpful, but prayer backed up with condemnation is not. I believe that Jesus loves me as I am, and if that’s not enough to make me worthy, it’s okay. My husband believes as well, and I will continue to pray for him. Always.

Again… and again… and again… I just keep thinking that what is happening to us is cruel and unnecessary. I know none of us get out of this life alive, but none of us should have die alone… People need their loved ones and I need to see my husband. Again… and again… and again…

Stay safe, be kind and have a Happy Thanksgiving… Until next time…

Getting Lost is Too Easy…

Hi all. I hope this entry finds you all well and staying safe. With the holidays right around the corner and the virus raging out of control, I know times seem dark. They are dark. And it’s easy getting lost in the darkness. At least for me it is…

My husband is still hanging on to life, but declining steadily at the same time. It’s been almost two months since he went to hospice care and I feel like it’s been so much longer. So. Much. Longer. I am lost in the depths of a sinking sadness and it just doesn’t end. There is no way to say this. It just is. I pray constantly for his pain and suffering to end, knowing that mine will be made greater when he passes. It’s okay. I know I will heal as best I can and I hope to get lost in the healing process. I hope that makes sense… I am so lost in the grieving process already, and have been for over a year now, so the healing process will be a welcomed change.

Today my husband asked me not to cry, but I don’t know how to stop. It’s so easy to get lost in the sorrow of the journey we’re on. Finding reasons to be happy still come, just not as frequently as they are welcome. I did have a reason to be happy for a little while today when talking to the other Gma of our oldest grandson… He got a new puppy on Monday of this week and our boy named him Moe. I learned that our grandson has shown great responsibility in caring for Moe already, and that Moe brings healing to his heart. This is the same grandson we lost to the forced estrangement more than 2.5 years ago, so knowing that he is happy means everything to me. I am so grateful for the small things in my life that bring me moments of happiness.

Being lost in the love of my family is easy, and I appreciate them so much. I am so wounded and not fun to be around, and the people of my family are loving me through the pain and the loss to come. I won’t be the only one to lose my husband, and I know that all of us will be left a little emptier after he’s gone. I think sometimes I hurt so much that I close myself off, and they know this. So do my trusted friends. I’d like to believe that the people I love aren’t hurting, but they are and I can’t fix that. I wish I could…

Getting lost to the sadness is one thing, getting lost in the anger that rears its ugly head is another. I have been angry a lot over the past 13 months, but lately that anger seems to sink its teeth deeper and deeper into my soul. I don’t care if people agree me when it comes to the decisions I’ve been making. What other people think of me is none of my business. The climate in which we all live in the U.S. is toxic. It’s also emboldened people to give voice to their opinions about MY decisions. If I want to know what someone thinks about what I’m doing, I’ll ask. The saying about walking a mile in someone else’s shoes… Yeah. I get lost in that anger and I can’t shake it off as easily as I used to. I know I shouldn’t care, and most of the time I don’t, but when closer then most people to me say shit to me about what they “would do differently” I get pissed. When it’s your turn to do things differently, go ahead. I sincerely hope you never have to do things differently… I hope you never have to sit by a loved one’s bedside and watch as the Grim Reaper slowly takes his sweet time torturing them.

I wish I could be more positive and encourage you all like I used to. I hope to get back to that person again someday. I know I’ll never be the same again, but I also know that I will be okay and that my story will be an encouragement to someone else someday. When people tell me how strong I am, I tell them that I’m not strong, I’m broken. Being broken is okay, and so is being strong. I’m not strong enough to be anything but broken right now and it’s as it should be. I am not afraid to ask for help, I am not afraid to cry and I am not afraid of what is coming. There is a strange sense of strength in the brokenness I feel, and someday I will try my best to put the pieces back together again. Until then, I’ll try really hard to not get lost in the pain…

Stay safe, be kind and know that I appreciate you all making this journey with me. Until next time…

It’s been a while…

It’s been a while since I’ve written, and that extends across all the ways I write. My journal, my blog, letters, my book. I have been so caught up in surviving the visits to hospice every day that I haven’t taken much time for myself lately. I did, however, take time today to walk the Cape Cod Canal this afternoon after visiting with my husband, and it was well worth the drive. I’d almost forgotten about the beauty my home state offers, even with the winter approaching…

It’s been a while since I’ve felt good, both mentally and physically. I’d gotten used to walking the campus of the VA Hospital where my husband is every day after our visit, and then that freak snow storm hit the area on October 30th. A dusting was predicted. We got 6 inches here in the greater Boston area! I drove in the snow for the first time in many years and did fine. Just kept it slow. I also drove to NH to spend the weekend with family and it was nice. Even nicer? I didn’t have to drive to and from hospice for two days as my brother-in-love did all the driving. Such a relief…

It’s been a while since I’ve felt whole. A long while. We passed the one year mark for my husband’s stroke on October 30th. He had his craniotomy on Nov. 2, 2019 and it’s been more than a year since he looked like someone beat the crap out of him the day after the surgery. In the long year since he had fought so hard to recover and he did so well. Until Covid came. The forced isolation took its toll on him physically, mentally and emotionally. Spiritually he has become stronger, and the closer he gets to death, the stronger his faith becomes. I wish I could say the same. I’m broken, not strong, and when I tell people that, they’re usually surprised.

Have you ever watched someone you love more than your own life die a long, slow, agonizing death? I hope not, but if you have, than you know what I feel like. I feel like this: When our daughter estranged herself from the family and forbid us to see our grandson, I was shattered, As time went on, I began to pick up the larger pieces of my life and tried to put them back together. Light would shine through the cracks and while the light refraction’s looked different, there was still beauty. Then came the stroke, 18 months later. I was shattered into smaller pieces, and again learned to put the small pieces back together. Light again shone through the smaller pieces and larger cracks. Then came selling our home. Moving. Being banned from visiting my husband. Discharging and moving. Again. Still no visitation. Almost seven months without being allowed to touch my husband, hug him or even hold his hand. In that 7 months, the pieces of glass kept breaking. They turned to dust. Dust that cannot be put back together again. My spirit became dust. Glass dust is beautiful in its own right, but it’s impossible to keep together. I also feel like a jigsaw puzzle. Every day that I get to see my husband, for two hours, I feel like I leave another piece of the puzzle behind me when I have to leave him. I don’t even bother to look for the missing pieces. I will. Later. I AM determined to be okay. I am determined to face the storms I’m in with every broken piece of me. And, when I get to the other side of the storm on the horizon, when I get my feet under me and my mind clears from the fog of grieving, I will begin to look for the lost pieces of myself. It’s the getting from here to there that is taking a while…

I do want you all to know that I’ll continue to try to do some self-care, hence the walking of the canal today. I dream of the day I can travel to SC to see my beloved daughter and her family. I miss my grands so very much. I dream of going to Northern California to visit family and heal. I long to walk the beaches of Northeastern Florida and spend time with family there. I know that these desires will have to wait until it’s safe to travel again, but these are some of the things I will do when I can. Until then I will see my husband every time I am able and try to remember to be grateful for the time we have. He is declining every day and I pray for him to find relief from the terrible pain he lives with 24/7/365 now. He is heavily medicated for pain and anxiety, but the pain always seems to find a way to break through the morphine and fentanyl.

In closing, please remember to be kind to one another and try not to take your life for granted. Hug someone you love, pay it forward and smile. The trials of this life may seem insurmountable, but with support and love, we can all find moments of joy. Until next time, I am always thankful for you…

Dancin’…

Good morning, all, I hope this entry finds you all well and staying as safe as possible. With Coronavirus surging again, the future looks more bleak every day. That’s what got me thinking about dancin’…

Dancin’ with the devil… Dancin’ on the ceiling… Dancin’ in the dark… Dancin’ in the Rain…

Take your pick, the field is wide open. Right now I am basically dancin’ with the devil. The devil of depression, the devil of despair, the devil of loneliness. Too many devils to name them all. What keeps me going is knowing that I can and do dance with my friends, my family and with my faith. I don’t write much about how I believe, but I do. And that belief helps me beat back the devils I dance with on a daily basis. I’m a believer that doesn’t identify with mainstream Christianity. I know that’s not a popular thing to say, but it’s the truth. I see things from a more open-minded view point, and how I pray, practice my faith and worship, are very personal to me. I don’t share much more than that.

Dancin’ is something that should make us feel good, the more movement we get in in a day helps keep our spirits up. I love all different kinds of music and sometimes I just want to find that rhythm that makes me move without even thinking about it. I know that when people drive by me and I’m dancin’ in the car, it always makes them smile, and sometimes laugh at me when they pass by. It’s okay, I laugh at myself, too. I believe in simple joy, and knowing that even for a few seconds that someone finds something to smile about in this dark and somewhat oppressive world because some fool woman is dancin’ in her car brings me joy. Simple.

Do you ever think about how crappy this world would be without music? Without dancin’? It would be a place that I would not want to be, music sustains me. Especially in this dark, dreary and uncaring world. I would rather listen to music than watch TV, and dancin’ is just a way to bring music to life. My husband and I would dance in the kitchen when he was able to. I would dance in the kitchen with my children held in my arms when they were young. I love to hold my grand-babies and dance with them when I am able. Being silly and dancin’ with my beloved Boston Terrier, Morgan was something I would do often. I miss dancin’ with my dog, he crossed the Rainbow Bridge in July of this year.

Dancin’ is a simple way of relieving stress and who cares if you look foolish or not? I don’t worry anymore that people will think I’m a freak for expressing myself. I don’t care anymore what other people, especially those I don’t know, think of me. I am broken and hurting and trying to keep my head above water these days, so what someone else thinks doesn’t matter. Stress will eat us all alive if we let it and adding to that because of someone else’s opinion? I don’t think so…

I just wanted to say a quick hello and am getting ready to head to hospice to visit my husband. Please know that I appreciate all of you and the time you take out of your busy life to read my blog. Have a joy filled day and remember to dance whenever you want! Life is too short not to!

When I…

Hello all, I hope that this post finds you all well and staying safe. Thanks for checking out today’s post!

When I think about what is happening in my life and the lives of those I love, I frequently become overwhelmed. Writing helps me make sense out of things that seem nonsensical. Most days during this particular time frame are pretty much nonsensical to me, and I literally end up overthinking every thing. It’s been a tough weekend for me, as are most weekends right now, and I would give almost anything to be able to change things. I’d change things not only for myself, but for the people I love that are dealing with losses and trials of their own. While driving home from visiting my husband in hospice today I realized, for the umpteenth time, just how much being an empathetic person takes out of me. Today, for an hour or two, I would’ve traded myself in for a model that couldn’t feel as much. I’m over that now, but those feelings gave way to so much more than myself. It gets exhausting carrying the weight of so much emotion, and if people like me aren’t careful, we lose ourselves to everyone and everything around us.

When I think about this last week I have to say that it was by far one of the hardest of my life. I never thought that saying goodbye to my son-in-love at the airport would open up the flood gates to so much emotion. I spent the week barely existing, barely functioning. I feel a little better today, but the bruises on my heart will take some time to heal. My heart remains broken, but my mind is a little less chaotic than it was 7 days ago. My youngest daughter and her extended family received some devastating news that set all of us reeling in disbelief and grief. I have spent the last few days praying for peace and healing, for comfort. Healing in this situation will be a very long time in coming, and the acceptance of such news as was received will not happen overnight. So much pain…

When I think about the loss I am facing with my husband, I am so conflicted. So very conflicted. I love the man I have been married to for the past 38+ years with my whole being, yet I am agonized by watching him suffer so. The transition to death is not anything like I think it should be, it’s a very personal and trying journey. The ups and downs of the hospice journey have been confusing, I get angry, I hurt beyond belief, and yet when I don’t receive that dreaded phone call, I am grateful. And I am sad for my husband. My suffering pales in comparison to his, there is no way I can put into words how much watching him writhe in pain hurts me. For him. If I could take it all onto myself, I would. Every damn day. The miracle in all of this will be his freedom from pain, no matter what that freedom looks like.

When I think about the future and what it looks like, I would rather run backwards than look forward. I know I have no choice but to look ahead, as we all know we can’t change the past. Looking forward right now is scary, I know the future holds days of unimaginable grief, struggle and pain. Beyond those things is where I need to focus. Beyond the grief will be healing. Beyond the struggle will be an easing. And beyond the pain will be a new journey that I pray will be honoring to my husband, challenging enough to keep me learning and a new found strength. I already know that I will not be traveling alone, I am surrounded by love.

As always, I appreciate any and all who read this and hope that you find something worth holding on to in my words. You are not alone in your struggles, you matter, and you are loved. Stay safe, be kind and remember to turn your face toward the sun and appreciate its light. And warmth…

Thursday Morning Thoughts…

Good Morning. Welcome to Thursday! This week has gone by pretty quickly, but being a day behind until this morning helped speed things up. I’m caught up with the rest of my life now and having a few laughs at myself. I’m glad I can laugh still, especially as my life is falling apart. I’m holding on by the skin of my teeth, still looking ahead to the sun rising again and bringing me some peace. And moments of joy. Even stolen moments of joy.

This morning my husband is first and foremost on my mind. As always. I find myself cherishing each day, each moment with him just a little more than the day before. As the world implodes all around us, I am becoming more and more insular within. His days are numbered, but how many of these numbered days do we have left? Yesterday he was pretty zombified by the morphine he’s now receiving regularly, and while the situation continues to crush my heart, I am at peace. As is he. To be able to spend time with him in the midst of the pandemic is a gift, and I am determined to make the most of our time together. Watching someone you love transitioning to death is not easy, not at all. It’s like a double edged sword. On the one side we want more time, on the other side we want less suffering. I can’t imagine my life without him, but I can’t imagine him in constant pain and suffering. A complex oxymoron…

It’s a beautiful fall day here in New England and the sun is shining brightly in Boston. While the country I love races towards self-annihilation, I find myself stuck between wanting to scream and wanting to hide. I want to scream because people of color are treated as less than by a broken justice system. I want to hide because the noise of turmoil overwhelms me. Especially now. I want to stand up and fight for what matters to me, and not being able to is a tough pill to swallow. Then I think, “Hey! You are fighting for that which matters most! Your husband.” I am learning a little more each day how to grant myself grace. And forgiveness. And I ask for forgiveness from my friends. Forgive me for not being able to do more, but I know you all understand why I can’t. Thank you.

As you go about your day today, remember to be kind to those you meet. You never know what someone is going through. Kindness matters, and these days it matters more than ever. With so much hatred and discord being spread by people that are in positions of great power, it’s up to the rest of us to hold onto kindness and share it. Smile at a stranger, even though they might not see it behind your mask. They’ll see it in your eyes. Let that car trying to turn left into that parking lot go ahead of you, just because you can. Take a walk and just listen to the world around you. Sit in the sun. Be kind to yourself. And others. We all need more kindness and you could change a life with a simple act of kindness.

My Thursday thoughts could go on for quite a while, but I’m ending here. I’m going to take that very walk I encouraged you to do, and listen to the sounds of the city I love. Traffic, sirens and dogs barking are a given, but birdsong, children laughing and quiet are not. These are the things I will be listening for…

Until next time, be well and stay safe!

Thank You…

Hi everyone. Another day is upon us all and I want to share my heartfelt thanks to all of my readers, followers and to the world beyond. I don’t have the most successful blog out there, but it’s okay. I want my blog to be something I look forward to writing, I need that more than ever right now. I wish I had the desire to write every day like I did in the beginning, but my life has changed so much since then that I’ve had to completely shift my focus.

Thank you. Those two words never seem enough to say, though most times they’re all we have. There are so many people I wish I could say thank you to in person… I would love to say thank you to the Polytrauma Unit staff in Richmond, Virginia at the Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center. The amount of love, compassion, patience and expertise poured into both my husband and myself while we were there goes way above and beyond “work.” We were cared for like we were family and the time spent there will forever be a cherished memory. As human beings, we’re not meant to spend our lives alone, and we were not alone there. Though Covid-19 kept me from physically being with my husband during his last three months there, I knew that I was there in spirit. I was included in his life daily and saying thank you just doesn’t seem enough.

Thank you. Those two words have been said more in my heart and mind than anyone could ever know. I have known more pain in the past 2.5 years because of other people’s actions, and if I could, I would say thank you to those very people that hurt us. I know that sounds weird, but the pain inflicted on me and my husband served a purpose that I’m sure was unintended. The most painful thing I’d ever experienced was nothing more than the pouring of a foundation on which to stand against that which we now face. The fact remains that we still feel the pain of estrangement, but the pain of watching the man I love slip away from this earthly life far outweighs the pain of being abandoned by our daughter. We can’t change the past, but we can learn from it and incorporate lessons learned into our present and future.

Thank you. I am grateful to God that I have been blessed with the ability to forgive others. And to forgive myself. Forgiveness doesn’t mean that we forget the wrongs committed against us, it means that we accept what is and that we choose to lay down the weapons of anger, resentment and confusion. I have been able to walk through the angst of what life throws at me because I truly believe forgiveness matters. I’ve had to forgive myself so many times throughout my life for things I’ve said and done, and I know I will continue to do so. Forgiveness towards others is easier for me than self forgiveness, but I still believe in it. When someone wrongs you and you hold onto that bitterness and anger, it hurts you, not them. Forgiving isn’t forgetting, not at all. Forgiveness can help you find peace within if you let it.

Thank you. A simple phrase that packs such a punch. Being thankful and having an attitude of gratitude, even in your darkest times, can bring light to your heart. And life. Am I sad most days right now? Sure I am. I also know I will be for some time to come, but that in time, I’ll be okay again. I’ll be different, I’ll change over the course of time but I’ll try to remain positively changed. It’s impossible to not be changed by the pains life gives us. In the long run, over the course of our lives, pain defines and re-defines who we are and who we will become. I accept this. I try hard to learn from the situations that cause me pain, and since life is nothing more than a series of lessons, I know that what I am learning will have great impact on me. I don’t seek pain or painful situations, but I don’t hide either.

Thank you… for reading this. For sharing my journey. For lifting my husband and I in your prayers. I hope that no matter who you are and what you’re facing that you’ll find encouragement through my journey. The only thing that will save us all is all of us, humankind can save humankind, and I am ever hopeful that we will do so…

This Hurts So Much…

I am an American. I am a woman. I am a mother. I am a grandmother, I am a wife, I am a friend, I am an Auntie. I am not a punching bag. I am not a fool. I am not a failure.

I am many things to many people, but what I am not is probably more noticeable than what I am. At least right now. It’s not about what I am, but who. Right now pain defines my life, but it’s not always going to be this way and I know this. When you look at me, what do you see? Do you see beneath the surface of my skin? Do you feel sorry for me, or with me? Do you see the way life’s circumstances are starting to show in the lines of my face? Do you see the depth of the sorrow I feel in my eyes? Do you see the silver in my hair? It’s okay if you see all these things, I don’t try to hide them anymore. I hurt. I cry. I cry every single day, I cry myself to sleep most nights while I pray for those I love.

I have been loved and I love with all that I have. There is no way to put my pain into words to make people understand what I am going through. I ache for my daughters, they are losing their Daddy and I can’t take away their pain. I can’t imagine not having the man that is the Poppy to my MiMI, but I can’t imagine him having to “live” in constant, physical and emotional pain with no end in sight. I am so conflicted.

My husband is now in hospice and we are waiting for something that no one wants to wait for. I want to wake up tomorrow and have it be 1993. Our girls were 5 and 10 that year and we were an intact family. I never imagined that all these years later that we would be so broken. Families belong together, not apart. How do I fix this? How do I survive this? How to I protect my children from what’s coming? How to I let our grandchildren know the man their Poppy was? How do I live without the man I love more than my own life? How? I know the why, not the how. It’s all so painful. All of it.

When life gives you lemons you’re supposed to make lemonade, right? Well, this Boston based girl says 2020 can suck those lemons… I am so over this year…

If you’ve read this far, please know that I appreciate you. I wish this were a happier posting, but I am not happy. I’m raw. I’m shattered, and I’m bereft…

Be kind always and stay safe…

It’s Not Easy…

Hi All,

Life sucks right now. It’s not easy. Actually, I don’t think it’s supposed to be easy. I think life presents us with challenges to hone our deepest survival skills and teach us what really matters. What really matters? I can only answer that question for my self, and I’m going to try. And keep on trying as long as I am able to.

It’s not easy to wake up every day knowing that I have to face the longing in my heart for my husband. Yes, he’s alive, but the man I loved all these years is gone, both in mind and in spirit, replaced by a man that is so different I don’t know him. At all. The strong, loyal and fiercely protective husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, friend is forever changed and forever scarred by the stroke that took him away from those of us that love him. In place of the man I knew is a little boy’s mind full of fear and angst and self-doubt. The heart that beats within his chest is not the same heart, it’s compromised and broken and weakened. He has no quality of life as long as he lives within such a tortured mind and broken body, and I can do nothing to help him except to hold his hand and tell him I love him. And I do.

It’s not easy to know that my husband, who is currently in the hospital, will be going back to his long term skilled care center and once again be forced into isolation. Coronavirus is a stealthy killer, but it doesn’t just kill those infected with the virus, it slowly kills those people that are living alone, forced to be kept from their loved ones in order to “protect” them. Protection my ass… People need love, they need physical touch and they deserve to stay connected to their loved ones. Can you imagine being a caregiver in a nursing home and having to enforce rules that you know are not going to protect your patients? Can you imagine what it’s like to have to walk the halls of a place where people are forced to eat in their rooms, where people can’t commune in what should be a community? Not only do the patients and their families suffer, so do the staff and their families. Failure to thrive is killing thousands across the country and while these numbers are not included in the daily count of Covid deaths, they should be.

It’s not easy to watch the country I love destroy itself more and more every day. As a collective people we are imploding and unless we stand united, divided we will continue to fall. Not all law enforcement officers are bad, not all people of color are criminals and not all caucasian people are racists. The civil unrest and ensuing protests are warranted, the violence and death and destruction are not. Vigilantes? Really? In the 21st century? POC aren’t even safe when they’re sleeping peacefully in their own beds. Breonna Taylor did not deserve to die. Neither did Tamir Rice. Or Botham Jean. Just because someone looks different than you do doesn’t mean they’re criminals. Hell, Tamir Rice was a 12 year old boy, a child, playing in a park. WTF America? Are we so desperate to prove ourselves as a bully nation that we think the loss of life in the black/brown communities across the nation is worth the price being paid? POC are human beings, plain and simple, and deserve to have the Constitution and The Bill of Rights work for them as easily as it seems to for white people.

It’s not easy to be an empathetic person in a world full of cynicism, narcissism and selfishness. It’s incredibly difficult to stay positive when the world around you is always so damn negative. I am trying really hard to hold onto the tender heart that beats within my chest but there are more days than not now that I want to give up. What’s the point of being kind to one another when your kindness is received or mistaken for weakness? I am NOT a weak person, but I am broken. I am not a cynical person, but I don’t trust very often anymore. I am not a shy person, but I don’t want to put myself out there anymore to meet people. The world around me has become so dark and so cruel that I don’t want to participate in it. I want to hide most days from what’s going on around me and that’s not healthy. At all.

It’s not easy to know that someone I care deeply for is now experiencing the pain of seeing her beloved grandchild used as a pawn, a weapon. Really? Another family torn apart because pride and the desire to “win,” is all the involved parties can see. Sure, throw another beloved grandmother to the curb, we’re older, so we don’t matter. As hard as I try I will never understand why the children of my daughter’s generation think grandparents don’t matter. They need to know that the pain they willingly inflict on us will come back to them someday. And when it does, your parents will no longer be able to help you find your way home. Remember this… Karma is a bigger bitch than you, the children that throw their parents away, and she (Karma) will find you. I don’t relish the idea that my own flesh and blood will someday know the pain that I carry every day because of her actions, but she will. I can do nothing to stop it. Again, be careful what you ask for, because when you get it, it’s probably not at all what you want.

It’s not that easy to let go, and harder to hang on. Living in the 21st century is not for the faint of heart and it takes blood, sweat and more tears than a human body should be able to produce. I have cried enough tears since May 2018 to fill the oceans, and know there are many more to come. Hug someone you love after reading this, thank the universe for the breath in your lungs, and thank whatever God you believe in that you can smile through the pain. It’s not easy, but it is possible…

Until next time…

Blocked…

Hi All,

I’ve been trying to write for several days now but have been blocked out of my own head. I’ll feel the urge to sit and write, then the words don’t flow. I’ve got a lot going on, but that’s not any different than it was a week or a month ago. It’s not timing, it’s not for lack of something to share, it’s just me. And to be perfectly honest, it frustrates the hell out of me.

This last week has been a trip of extreme lows and highs, almost whiplash like in its own way. Last Saturday morning I had the most terrifying thoughts screaming inside my own head, and they came out of nowhere. Absolutely debilitating in nature. I had never been so afraid of myself as I was last weekend. It was brief, but paralyzing at the same time. I feel much better now and by the end of the day I was okay. I spent the afternoon and evening surrounded by my precious family and 5 young women from the ages of 11-14. The girls reminded me, without even knowing, that life is a series of “the next adventure.” Even when the adventures take twists and turns that would never be welcomed by the traveler, they appear and you go along for the ride. This past week has been a ride I’ve been ready to get off of, but thankfully the last part of the week was quiet and somewhat boring.

I wish I could wave a magic wand and make my life make sense again. I try hard to keep my blog positive, but today it’s just not possible. I miss my husband, that makes me sad. I miss my daughter and her family, I miss my grandchildren and their dad in NC. I miss my friends. My family. Sometimes the pain of missing my husband is so blinding, I feel physical pain. What should be doable has become such a struggle. The mental health ramifications of the Covid-19 pandemic have been so vast and so varied. Then add the restrictions of having a loved one in a long term care facility… Not a single person is untouched by this virus. No matter who you are, or what you do, all lives are touched by it in some way. It’s incredibly hard to get my brain injured husband to understand why he can’t see me every day. I haven’t found a way to break through the injuries to help him realize that I don’t choose to stay away. I would be there with him every day if I could be.

One of the hardest things I’ve had to learn how to do since my husband’s stroke is to not share my heart with the man I love. He doesn’t process conversations the way he did, and adding the hurt I carry with me is not something that would be beneficial to him. No matter how much I want to share with him, I can’t. I won’t. It would be like telling a five year old. I wanted to get to a place where I could join a support group for caregivers, now the pandemic makes that an impossibility. Virtual support is good, but the human interaction of meeting with others face to face would be better. Someday…

Being blocked and not knowing what to write is antithetical to my mind. I usually have a head and heart full of words, not lately. I am usually more upbeat, not today. I want to feel the knowledge that words are not escaping me, but I don’t. I haven’t written in my journal, or my book, in weeks. I don’t know what to say.

I realize that this is not much of a blog entry, but it’s all I have right now. I appreciate you all and hope that you stay safe. And well.

Until next time…