by debwfrank | Jan 7, 2019 | childhood trauma, dysfunctional families, grief, widow
photo by Benjamin Davies, courtesy of Upsplash I dreamed about the two worst traumas of my life last night. They were separate dreams, though both were in present time. In one, I’m talking to a classmate from Vermont College who was widowed earlier this year. In the...
by debwfrank | Dec 20, 2018 | cancer, dysfunctional families, grief, loss, trauma
Photo by Everton Vila on Unsplash Yesterday I learned that my brother-in-law died. Keith was a heavy Facebook user who suddenly went quiet, so a neighbor checked on him and discovered he’d passed away in his sleep—at 65. Since he was living in Ecuador, I hadn’t seen...
by debwfrank | Sep 8, 2018 | film, grief, movies
Photo by Jamison Riley on Unsplash Last night Bob and I watched Lean on Pete. From the description—a 15-year-old boy tries to save a horse from slaughter—I had no idea that I would be experiencing the most intense chapter from my childhood. Spoiler alert: I give away...
by debwfrank | Aug 17, 2018 | grief
To me, this sculpture, “Rising Cairn,” by Celeste Roberge captures grief —when you feel doubled over in pain, and so weighted-down you can’t move. Apparently, it isn’t what the artist had in mind, but the language of the link tells me I’m not...
by debwfrank | Feb 17, 2018 | breast cancer, grief, hiking
Bob and I are signed up to lead a snowshoe for our hiking club today. Everyone would understand if we cancelled, but I want to put boundaries around cancer. I’m not going to concede snowshoeing and hiking, they’re what make me feel alive, and maybe even strong. When...
