OCR Text |
Show Approx. 1900 Words Family Circle Magazine Adult Audience THROW ME A LIFELINE Self recriminations plagued me. My every fiber rebelled at this move. I wanted to cry out, "STOP! It's a mistake. Turn the car around." Had I dragged my loved ones all this distance to suddenly retrace our steps. Admittedly I was a houseplant. How could I withstand the rigors of a winter in timberwolf country? I gave no indication of the inward upheavel I experienced. Clark explained nonstop to our three children the hardy nature of the black angus grazing nearby, and how the headwaters of the Red Rock empties into the Beaverhead. Oh, Clark, can the chatter; we have eyes. So much had happened in the week since my doctor diagnosed my condition. "Kay, you're hyperventilating." "Am I going to die?" "No, it only feels like it. The numbness and pin pricks are a part of it. You breathe too deeply, take in too much oxygen." "What can I do?" "Face Heidi's loss. Clark tells me you've never cried once. This putting on a brave front is for the birds. Tears are our God-given salve for grief." |