July 5, 2022
by TRatner
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by Terry Ratner, RN, MFA …..in the seventh month, on the tenth of the month, you shall starve your vital energies and do no manner of work…. For on this day it shall bring atonement upon you, to purify … Continue reading
March 3, 2016
by TRatner
2 Comments
Left to right: Leonard and Evelyn Pasternack; Bubbles and Gerald Rotstein My mother and her two best friends, Evelyn and Bubbles, were inseparable. They knew each other as young wives in Chicago, having been introduced by their husbands who went … Continue reading
February 7, 2015
by TRatner
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Over the past few years, I’ve begun to feel age. I feel it when I turn my left arm sideways to grab something or when I extend it over my over my head (torn rotator cuff), but I decided to … Continue reading
October 28, 2014
by TRatner
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In the ‘90s, after my son, Sky, died in a motorcycle accident, while I was in the depths of my worse dreaminess, I began to order as many catalogs as I could. At least thirty mail order catalogues came … Continue reading
September 27, 2013
by TRatner
2 Comments
TEN As a young man, he called to tell you he was sick with the flu. You were concerned and asked him if he had any food in the house. “No, I haven’t been eating much,” he replied. So you … Continue reading
December 6, 2012
by TRatner
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My husband, Michael, doesn’t know that President Obama won reelection. He knows nothing about Hurricane Sandy. He doesn’t even know that the San Francisco Giants won the World Series in a sweep over the Tigers. Most important perhaps, he doesn’t … Continue reading
December 4, 2012
by TRatner
1 Comment
The beginning of the end Three weeks before my husband was admitted to inpatient hospice, he experienced an increase in bone pain. His daily medications were no longer easing his discomfort. I remember the initial comment from his hospice nurse, … Continue reading
November 8, 2012
by TRatner
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Street Walking By Terry Ratner, RN, MFA She walks the streets by my house. Denim jeans hide the thinness of her legs. A fanny pack buckled around her waist conceals the pack of cigarettes she needs to get through the … Continue reading
October 23, 2012
by TRatner
2 Comments
Looking Back Part 2 Clips from a summer journal July 2, 2010 Chemo side-effects: Fatigue Lethargy Bloating Constipation Hiccups throughout day Wednesday evening (11 p.m.) Michael is still constipated. We drive to CVS to pick-up Milk of Magnesia, Miralex, a … Continue reading
September 19, 2012
by TRatner
3 Comments
Looking Back During a recent rainy day in Phoenix, I began reading a journal I kept when my husband, Michael, was dealing with esophageal cancer. I remember when he bought me this compact purple cloth book with flowers … Continue reading