[Critique Group 2] Leonard's comments on Sally's Work

[tuchyner5 at aol.com]

This is agood summary of your life post to your husband’s death.  



The naturalcourse of your life was interrupted by the pandemic. 



It mighthave  prolonged your grieving. 



On theother hand, 



it mighthave kept you where you needed to be  toget beyond the major  intensity  of that grief



. But, youwonder if you really have it in you to fulfill your dreams of what you imaginedyhour life could be. 



I wouldsubmit that you are exactly where you need to be to make those choices.




 



                                               Liminal Time



 



When myhusband died two years ago, I believed his death would be a dividing line in mylife.  “Before” was the time we shared, and “After” began as I kissed himfor the last time and left his body in a hospital room, taking up mymetaphorical Widow’s weeds.




 


What arewidow’s weeds?



 



What I hadno way of knowing was that I was about to enter liminal time, the thresholdbetween “before” and “after.”  I could not go back in time and did not seea path forward alone.  While I was certainly sad and grieved, I was stuck,in limbo, caught on the threshold to God knew what.



 



 



As the rawshock of loss lessened and I was left with occasional waves of sorrow, I expectedto pack away my widow’s weeds and rejoin the world beyond my grief.  Ireasoned that the rest of my life was mine for the taking, filled with newadventures and old friends.



 



Were it notfor a pandemic happening within less than a year of my husband’s passing, Imight have become the woman, two years shy of 70, who finally traversed therugged Welsh terrain, joined a local women’s choir, and enjoyed her morningcoffee while dough for home-baked multigrain bread rose on her stove. However,I am none of those women.  




 


Walesremains a dream,  What does tis mean?




 



 


I singsilly songs to my tolerant cat, and my bread comes from a grocery store.



 



For thefirst year of the pandemic, I consoled myself with the knowledge thateveryone’s lives were on hold.  Now, as the threat of death and illnessfrom a raging virus lessens, I am still perched on the threshold wondering whenliminal time slips quietly into “after” and if I will notice that I have missedthe opportunity to step into a future of my choosing.



 




 


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