“The Likelihood of Dawn is a remarkable book, one that traverses the rocky terrain of grief with unusually keen awareness and compassion. It is rich, true, and enthralling, a book to treasure and a gift to anyone navigating the landscape of loss and longing for new possibilities. Matter-of-fact hospital reportage, experiences with alternative therapies, and dreams interweave to reveal the steps Bratnick took after the death of her husband, not to shy away from the pain of his passing but to meet and pass through that pain. I highly recommend this book for anyone facing a loved one’s cancer, death, or significant loss of any kind.
”
EXCERPTS FROM THE LIKELIHOOD OF DAWN:
“…a friend asks me what I think love really is. I say, “When you want to walk out and you don’t. You show up and keep showing up when you really don’t want to and don’t think you can do more.” This cancer will test my love.”
“With cancer, Michael lives closer to his core. He swiftly transitions from his outer world involvement to a spaciousness that links his inner and outer selves. He is moving towards the ultimate spaciousness: death.”
“I knew my grief was going to cause him more pain than he already had to deal with, so I just wrapped shock around my grief. I knew too soon I would be living in grief’s barren landscape.”
“Michael’s crisis, and my deep love for him, had created a no-choice opportunity to become who I truly am. The time was ripe for spiritual maturation for both of us.”
“My entire life has prepared me to experience loneliness unadorned. I don’t want to avoid any part of this journey. I have looked in the face of death. I know it is time to look directly in the face of the aftermath of death.”
more praise for the likelihood of dawn
“The Likelihood of Dawn is an important book - you have been so generous of yourself and so honest. Life is a roller coaster...sometimes exhilarating and sometimes just leaving you weak in the knees. What amazes me is how deeply your words hold it all. It will be meaningful to people who know you and meaningful to people who never met you and through your story may be unlocked from their own grief.”
