Chapter Two - Where to Begin?

10/6/19 - One statement made in my very first post in "Us vs. Cancer" has resonated over and over in my mind: "Every way I turn I am haunted by the specter of "Life Before", but my task is to have steely vision straight ahead".  I fulfilled that task as best I could to the moment Penny died.  It was so tempting to fall into "anticipatory grieving", to fill my mind with memories of the life we had and would not have again.  Penny was determined to look ahead, to focus on the battle, to push the envelope of her predicted survival.  Looking back at our wonderful life added very little to that agenda. But almost immediately in the very early hours following her death, that resolve evaporated for me.  Now there was no battle to be waged, no need to clear the mind of emotional distraction.  Very quickly the image in my mind of the thin pale face from which life had just departed was replaced by the smiling face and sparkling eyes I had loved for so many years.  I recall the final scenes of the movie "Titanic", when the present-day aged Rose drifts to sleep (to death?) with the image in her mind of young Jack:  not his frozen body sinking away into the dark ocean, but appearing on the Grand Staircase, looking handsome and vibrant in dinner jacket as he greets her.  That is the memory we hold, and already I must revert to the handful of photos of Penny during her illness to remember how she changed as cancer took its toll.  Instantly, the full panorama of "Life Before" became fair game for my emotional engine: the sepia-toned memories of children being born, moving into a new home, family celebrations, camping together, quiet moments holding hands.  And then there was looking ahead, to plans unfulfilled and dreams that will never come true.  All of these have become an emotional ocean in which I have felt, at times, like I was drowning.  Ironically, the life raft has been the demand for attention to the many post-mortem tasks facing a surviving spouse:  arrangements with the mortuary, writing and submitting the obituary, giving notice of her death to all who need or want to know, marshalling our assets to make sure financial and property interests are protected.  The Celebration of Penny's Life, a wonderful event for over 200 friends and family members, was held three weeks ago.  The sympathy cards have now stopped filling the mailbox, and all the beautiful flower arrangements have withered.  Friends sense that there is little more they can say to try to assuage my loss.  Now, I have learned, is the hard part of grieving.  Despite the heartfelt efforts of my sons and close friends to share the burden, despite the encouragement and patient listening by counselors, I am reconciled that, in the final analysis, this is a journey I must travel alone.