I am sitting with some deep sadness today, and lots of not knowing. The only not-knowing that is bothering me, is the not knowing of when I’ll see my daughter again. Life plans complicated by covid have put a hold on any arrangements we could be making. My time in Belfast is done, and I’m …
Author Archives: brooklyntobelfast
23 July 2020
My time in Belfast is officially over. Good-byes make me sad and a bit uncomfortable. It always feels easier [to me] once it’s all done. When I was making plans to return home, there had been no official word from Stormont when centers would be allowed to open; as it was, rules and opening plans …
26 June, 2020
I continue to be shaken and angered by all that I see on social media, and what is being reported on the news. George Floyd’s murder has inspired Black Lives Matter demonstrations here. White UK residents seem confused. I am feeling driven to educate myself and have participated in webinars over these last few weeks. …
5 May 2020
I’ve been reading, hearing about, and experiencing emotional moments, that normally wouldn’t give me cause to pause. But now, thanks to this weird and surreal existence we are in the middle of, I find myself moved to tears on a daily basis. Those who know me, know that I cry easily, readily, willingly. But things …
12 April 2020: Easter
Easter was always a childhood nightmare for me. A time when my parents couldn’t hold back the pressures of depression, financial insecurity, and alcoholism, and all would come crashing down on us. There were broken eggs, drunken crawls across kitchen floors, and the declarative droning of Charleston Heston in the background, parting the Red Sea. …
26 March 2020
As some of you may know, when I get any kind of respiratory ailment, it usually turns into some kind of bronchial infection, with asthmatic symptoms. I had been fighting a sinus infection for over a month, which is now gone, but I’m left with “viral wheezing”. The National Health System is stretched so thin …
15 March 2020
I found out about 30 minutes ago that one of our children died this morning. A freak home accident. I am in complete shock and feeling a bit floaty. I’m not sure how to move forward, so I am just trying to organize my life, my stuff. My two housemates and I are sad, and …
14 March 2020
It would be ridiculous for me to avoid the topic of COVID-19, so I figure this will be my monthly entry, on a topic that is affecting everyone I know. One of my housemates will be returning to the states earlier than scheduled, and his plans to travel throughout Europe for the next month have …
February 12, 2020
One of our mummies died today. I am sad. I have no details, but her story is not mine to tell, so I will not share it. My story is that I chatted with her. I have hugged her. I love her children. I sat in sadness with her loving team, halfway up the mountain; …
January 1, 2020
This morning my dog took off after the local sheep. No matter how much I called her with ever increasing urgency, she wouldn’t come back until she felt done. I had taken her out without a leash only once before, and she had stayed close. Forgetting how bold she often feels after initial experiences, I …
Brooklyn to Belfast 