My Dark Tunnel Has Led Me to Light Up The Past

 2021    to    2022

   

My View In The Darkness

This past year has seen several anniversaries go by in my lifetime. I want to mark these events and say goodbye to many of the decades I have survived long before this Pandemic. The lockdown and vaccines have spared me so far the life-threatening symptoms. Yet the toll on my mental and physical health has suffered. 

1991 * 2001 * 2011 * 2021

My first cousin and his partner, before legal marriage was possible, died in their homes of AIDS complications with me by their side.

July 5 and 21st.of 1991

Theirs was a virus called 

HIV was of pandemic proportions, the world over by the 1990s. We did not learn much from its first outbreak in the 1980s because of the stigma of its being just a "Gay Disease".

Their early exposure in the mid-80s from frequent visits to San Francisco made their survival not possible, til the new drug treatments were available to extend their lives. Was this also a part of the result of it being thought of as a way to eliminate these "amoral" citizens? 

Honeymoon in San Francisco

Richard and Philip

They were both accomplished professionals in the prime of their lives, mid-40s.

A lawyer and Portland State University professor. Philip was editor of the Portland Gay newspaper and also a member of Gay Men's Chorus.  Richard was active in philanthropy with sports and the youth of Portland. My cousin did not live to see his only nephew get legally married to his love in 2012.

2001

This is known the world around as the 9/11 attack on World Trade Center

One of the pages in the newspaper. I still have these from Vermont.

I also was in preparation in September for my Grand Opening of a country store and catering outlet, FOOD & BLOOM.   A dream of mine. The atmosphere gave rise to big box store buying and events including weddings were put on hold. I closed the store the following spring.

2011

This was the year that ended with the foreclosure and resale of my home of 10 years. The Bank Mortgage Crisis of  2009  was the cause of refinancing obstacles and high unemployment for myself and the renters in my duplex.  In 2011 I found myself in a homeless transitional housing facility after my move to family in NW resulted in no place, even temporarily live. It has been now a decade since I have heard from my family. Their lives with Covid 19 pandemic are unknown to me as of this date.

2021

My dear friend in August 2021 became a USA citizen after waiting 10 years. Her son has arrived

from Russia , June 2, 2020 , when  his long awaited Visa was finally accepted during the war in the Ukraine. I discovered that the writer/poet of the famous quote ,"Give me your tired, your poor....." on a Statue of Liberty plaque,  was written by  another woman of Russian Jewish heritage. She also felt the phrase  in the quote "....yearning to BREATHE free .."   was exactly how she felt coming to this country. I am blessed to have her as a friend from a very low and sad time in my life. Both of  us being homeless, we found each other and started our lives again. Her a new immigrant, victim of domestic violence and myself a  disabled senior,  with low income and in need of rental assistance.

We often share our blessings and gratefulness with each other.