Chapter 1
The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.
But those that will not break it kills.
—Ernest Hemingway
I am a landscape painter, or at least I was at the time. For five years my husband, Rick, and I ferried my paintings to summer art festivals from Maine to Pennsylvania. Each year my inventory of art show supplies grew until my SUV could no longer accommodate the paintings, display panels, and tent.
Two weeks before Christmas in 2011, Rick bought me a used van. He planned to revamp it for the following summer’s art shows, but next summer never came.
On that chilly December morning, he drove it home, pulled into the garage, and started taking out the bench seats.
“Do you know what you’re going to do?” I asked.
He tapped his temple, “I’ve got it all up here.”
He spent all afternoon in the garage. That evening, we settled down to watch TV after dinner. Rick complained about his acid reflux. Before the end of the program, he retired upstairs in search of relief. When the eleven o’clock news finished, I checked in on him. Rick sat in his recliner, still uncomfortable.
“Would you get me some Tums?” he asked.
“Sure.”
I returned with the tablets and put them in his outstretched hand.
“You don’t have to wait up with me,” he said.
“It’s fine, I’m up. I’ll wait with you until the medicine works.”
“I love you,” he said. Those were the last words he ever spoke, leaving me forever.
If you would like to read all of Chapter 1, subscribe here.
For more information about the Uncharted, and the journey down the Intracoastal Waterway explore the links below.
Reviews
“Busenbark’s artistic side manifests in the stunning visual imagery of her writing, as when she describes the changes she undergoes as ‘layers of emotion stacked up like a pile of old books, each with a story and hundreds of pages.’ This is a poignant narrative about love, loss, and life that exposes the heartrending side of grief alongside the beauty that comes with healing.”
-BookLife Reviews
“The book’s strengths lie in Busenbark’s introspection and musings on healing: ‘Grief is different. Time does not heal the wound. Time grants the experience to learn how to continue to live.’ … (An) ultimately hopeful story of a widow’s life after loss.”
-Kirkus Reviews
“Busenbark writes with bravery and honesty…her strength and grit shone through in her writing, imbuing hope in every chapter. She teaches the reader about pursuing dreams at any age and going after what your heart truly desires.”
-Readers’ Favorite
“Uncharted is a heartfelt and thoughtful memoir. With a powerful voice, intricate details, and a touch of wit and humor. Busenbark expertly sifts through the pieces of sudden loss to generate meaning from a shattered life.”
-Jonathan Starke, author of You’ve Got Something Coming
“With sufficient courage, determination, flexibility, grit, resilience, and faith in her ability to move forward, Busenbark has crafted a well-written, vividly told true adventure of love, loss, and following dreams.”
– Judith Haskell, library director, Hampton Falls Free Library
