I wonder how your Retire-at-55 plan would be going by now? Would we be Florida-bound? Or woefully far from the dream?

That seems to be how life goes. We smugly think our plans are well-made, well-plotted, that hard work and diligence paid. Or we think God had other plans or we missed the mark, failure at our backs. Our dreams become what we have at hand.

A widow’s work is never done. I’m sitting outside on my London-green park bench, a Mother’s Day gift from long ago, another life, and I am wishing, crying, that I could personally wish you a happy birthday. Do they have birthdays where you are? I think not. It seems a purely human construction, to glorify our existence, to claim one moment in history’s yearly course.

Someday, I will carry out our Retire-at-55 dream, although I may be 57 before it officially occurs. I will take a piece of you with me and plant you in paradise, as you hoped to be, as you are now, albeit a far greater paradise than mere Earth can muster.

Wish we were there.

Marta Dorton

A visual artist and writer residing in Lexington, Ky, Marta E Dorton creates vibrant, textured acrylic paintings and colorful printmaking pieces. When she paints or prints, her focus is on color and texture, form and negative space; she blends these values into her writing. Writing has become an important part of sharing her experiences and emotions. Marta states "My husband's death in 2001 sent me into a deep depression. My feelings of hopelessness and loneliness were overwhelming. Writing and creating art have aided my grief journey and served as outlets for expressing a wide range of feelings".

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