Hi Heather, How many tragedies this year! I can imagine how reluctant you feel to even reach out. Hugs from Vancouver. Radhika
On Fri, Jul 23, 2021 at 1:04 PM Heather Madrone <[email protected]> wrote: > Pooja, I am deeply touched by your sharing and hope that your story will > encourage other women to create more hopeful futures for themselves. > > Udhay, this past year and a half has been a continual disaster parade > for me and my family, starting with my mother's quarantine aboard the > Grand Princess cruise ship. > > During my 2020 year-end journaling, I was struck by how many major > events had been all-but-forgotten in the sweep of disaster. > > My sister was diagnosed with cancer during our evacuation for the CZU > Lightning Complex fire. The sudden death of my daughter's fiancé in > October overshadowed very dark days in the autumn and winter. > > A few weeks after Taylor's death, we joined my daughter's fiancé's > family to sort through and pack up Taylor's things. Taylor's mother was > frantically turning the place upside-down. She presented my daughter > with an engagement ring and told her about Taylor's plans for a formal > proposal on Valentine's Day. > > We'd managed everything well enough until then, facing crises with > optimism and mutual support. After Taylor's death and the shattering of > my daughter's future, it was all we could do to keep putting one foot in > front of other. > > My 60th birthday was marked by the insurrection at the Capitol. A week > later, the death of all but one of the finches in our aviary (who had > miraculously survived 3 weeks home alone during the fire evacuation) due > to carbon monoxide poisoning passed like just another car in the > relentless train of horrible events. > > We learned to celebrate silver linings, no matter how thin. The birds' > deaths might have saved my children's lives. > > I desperately sought vaccination this spring so I could visit my sister. > I talked with her on May 21st, planning our visit. On May 22nd, I got my > second dose and felt oddly euphoric for half an hour. I returned home to > discover my sister was in a coma. She died the next day. > > Things seem to be settling down (knock on wood), but this time of crisis > has left us with harsh edges and a depleted ability to cope. > > We will survive. We have been so fortunate even in this trying time to > have good jobs and strong family support. Things could have been much > worse. > > I am reluctant to contact old friends because of the mine field of > terrible news. > > My job has kept me steady. Words have failed me, but learning to draw > has kept me sane. > > Mostly. > > Thank you for being here. > > -- > Heather Madrone ([email protected]) > Blog: http://www.knitfitter.com/category/personal/ > http://sheltershock.thecomicseries.com > > The Goddess moves mountains -- bring a shovel. > > > > -- *Translator/Owner* *AzulIndica Translations* *North Vancouver BC, Canada*
