No Limits-BK 2-Chapter 13- Beyond the Vale

Chris Ritchey Source

Forward: https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2023/02/03/no-limits-bk-2-forward-beyond-the-vale/

Chapter One: https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2023/03/03/no-limits-bk-2-chapt-1-beyond-the-vale/

Chapter Two: https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2023/04/03/no-limits-bk-2-chapt-2-beyond-the-vale/

Chapter Three : https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2023/05/03/no-limits-bk-2-chapt-3-beyond-the-vale/

Chapter Four:  https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2023/06/03/no-limits-bk-2-chapter-4-beyond-the-vale/

Chapter Five: https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2023/07/03/no-limits-bk-2-chapter-5-beyond-the-vale/

Chapter Six :  https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2023/08/03/no-limits-bk-2-chapter-6-beyond-the-vale/

Chapter Seven: https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2023/09/03/no-limits-bk-2-chapt-7-beyond-the-vale/

Chapter  Eight: https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2023/10/03/no-limits-bk-2-chapt-8-beyond-the-vale/

Chapter Nine: https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2023/11/03/no-limits-bk-2-chapt-9-beyond-the-vale/

Chapter Ten : https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2023/12/03/no-limits-book-2-beyond-the-vale-chapt10/

Chapter Eleven : https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2024/01/03/no-limits-bk-2-chapt-11-beyond-the-vale/

Chapter Twelve: https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2024/02/03/no-limits-bk-2-chapter-22-beyond-the-vale/

A NEW REALITY

When Chris passed, after the initial days of “surreality” , it is true , at least for me , it truly  was a bizarre state of fact and dreams  that were unbelievable. My  poor brain tried in vain to  sort out what was happening in my  new reality. I was left with  a new me. I  was  disjointed,  at odds with  my  grief.  I had attended a speech given by  Susette Kelo  https://ij.org/client/susette-kelo/  as she explained to  the audience about her loss of her home and  fracturing of her life , she stated that evening:

” I wake from sleep exhausted”

I know now exactly  what she meant . What dreams may  come…. days were filled with a zombie like existence , pushing or trying to  push the “reality” away as it was too  painful to  bear. Nights… oh!  the dreams  and fragments of reality  that invaded the exhaustion I felt. Waking to   pillows wet with  tears and  for just a moment  relieved that it was  but a nightmare   only  it wasn’t – this the new me. Surreal…

2 faces of life- by Chris Ritchey

I didn’t know who  I  was anymore , I had no  way  forward as they  say. I suppose  the only  thing that kept me from my  knees  was the fact I  had so  much  anger towards the “Lombardi  Clan” and their , to  this family,   despicable behaviour.

DEC. 4th- How Cold is Cold -Lombardi?

I suppose I  should be grateful for that anger, it somehow kept me “sane” gave me a focus other than my  terrible gut wrenching sorrow.

As , I hope, you  can imagine my  mind was  fragmented, bruised  and well I was no longer sure  of ME!

To  add to  my brain overload, I now had the added  circumstances  of  orbs,  aromas, talking toys  and mists!

I must admit I was torn between wanting to  know  the truth , was it just wishing for  a  communication from Chris  so  hard that I  was seeing and believing things that really  weren’t there ; finding the abnormal in situations that could be explained  logically.

Knowing  my  pain and the fact that being with  baby  Gavin , my  daughter, would give me time alone with  him. Those times she would run to  the store or do  errands.  It was one such  afternoon about 3 months after Chris passed. Gavin was in his highchair  playing with  his food., little bits of banana  and making a lovely  mess. He brought  a smile as the banana was everywhere but his mouth.

All of a sudden he stopped his play looked to  the  ceiling in the  family  room which  is attached to  the kitchen . He reached his little arms up to  be held , but he wasn’t looking at me.  I  followed his gaze  and there was an orb moving across the ceiling… I  deliberately  closed my  eyes and opened then again , maybe it was some sort of eye issue, the sun shining through  the great window , a reflection of light.  Gavin had gone back to  his banana and I  shrugged it off. My  son in law was due home so  when the door to  the kitchen area opened, which  separated the side door from the garage, I thought it must be him coming home through  the garage. I set about cleaning Gavin’s little face waiting for his father.

He seemed to  be in no  hurry  to  come in , I  was a bit concerned because of the draft on the baby. Then the aroma of his  aftershave wafted through. It gave me a turn because he and Chris used the same product ( probably  because my  daughter would purchase the fragrance as a gift)  and I had a “hold my  breath”  moment. The aroma brought back so  many  memories and I  truly  was anxious as to  hiding my  feelings  from Gavin and my  son in law.

No  more tears today  please, I  can’t deal with  this 

were the thoughts that came through . I  went to  the door to  see where Jim was  and to  tell him I  was shutting the door due to  the draft. He wasn’t there. No-one was, the aroma continued for a good minute , Gavin playing happily  oblivious to  the fact  his grandmother was wondering if she had lost it altogether.

My  daughter came home , I wasn’t going to  say  anything in case she worried I was going doolally  and shouldn’t be left alone with  her son.  However, as she came into  the room the talking  toy  started to  sing at us again .

I told her what had happened and she said.

I believe you  mum , so  many  things have been going on. I  think  we have to  acknowledge this maybe Chris trying to  get through  from wherever. Can you  imagine trying to  reach  through   and being ignored or not believed? How horrible would that be. Let us continue making the notes and pictures and discounting what  could be something else , a co-incidence  but if it is Chris we owe it to him to  believe. ……

To be continued