By Ami Sands Brodoff
On Pesah, we ask: “Why is this night different than all other nights?” The past six months have been different than all other six month periods during most of our lifetimes. This Pandemic is dark, painful, and full of irretrievable loss with close to a million people dead worldwide as I write this morning. The marginal are hardest hit. Many that recover are left with sequelae from Covid-19, breathing difficulties and lung damage, problems that do not clear up once fever and cough have subsided. This Pandemic has been especially stressful for me as a mother because my eldest son, Tobias, is in New York City, a final year medical student. He was called to the front lines by Governor Cuomo this past spring during the worst of the first wave and served his community. In July, he came down with Covid-19. Mercifully, he is now recovered as the Pandemic rages on. Still, and yet, I try to think of what we can do rather than what we cannot do. Of course, I miss hugs, seeing friends, attending concerts and plays, travelling the world, spending time with my sons and other relatives. All of this is on hold for now. I must be still. Shelter in place. Yet, crisis and opportunity are often inextricably linked. As a novelist, being still, bum in chair, is the ideal condition for productivity! I vowed during lockdown that I would not squander this time. Despite sadness, extreme anxiety, and immense distraction, I’ve been imagining into and writing into my sixth work of fiction, the novel, Treasures That Prevail. You may recognize the title from an Adrienne Rich poem, “Diving Into the Wreck.” The words are purposes. The words are maps. I came to see the damage that was done and the treasures that prevail. This is my mantra. I now have 200 pages of my novel. I have hope for a vaccine. I have hope for the future. I know once again I will see my kids, my relatives, hug my friends. There will be light … once again.
3 Comments
mark bassel
9/24/2020 08:08:20 am
This was painfully wonderful and agonizing. I read it through twice to make sure I did not miss anything.
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Donna
9/25/2020 06:56:45 am
This is wonderfully written. You captured many of my own emotions and feelings, especially your ending. I have hope for a vaccine. I have hope for the future.
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9/25/2020 08:44:33 am
Dear Mark--
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