Raechel Bratnick

The Likelihood of Dawn: An Intimate Journey Within and Beyond Grief Raechel Bratnick

What happens when a beloved spouse suddenly and irrevocably leaves your life? Overnight, the life Raechel and Michael Bratnick had planned disappeared, the territory ahead chaotic and uncertain. At the outset Michael was the owner of an industrial public relations company, a healer and poet: Illness ripped his life to shreds. Without any nursing skill, Raechel suddenly became his nurse and medical advocate. Big questions like how could this malignancy sneak into their lives without a warning had to wait, as his condition required constant care. After he died, she dreamed and grieved her way into peace. Dawn and dawning are themes throughout this book: His death at dawn propelled her into the dawning of a new life. Her journey takes her through shock, raw emotions, regrets, pain, and humor, as she gradually transitions into appreciation, forgiveness, and an understanding of this part of her life. A conversation between Raechel and Michael is woven in through their poetry and journals. The book concludes with a view of the author's new life, eleven years after losing her soul mate.