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Brek

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first registered 19.01.10

last online 57 days ago

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about me

I started writing when my wife started dying. I was 44 when she died. I am 51 now.

The process of telling my/our story wasn't really all that sad or depressing for me. Growth happened during the living of it all. And I desperately needed to share because it was so intense at the time.

I wouldn't like to give any of this experience back in trade for something else. This was authentically lived life.

I am a classical musician by training and trade, violist. So was my wife. I inherited her instrument and play it regularly now, in rotation with my own viola. This is quite unusual because the two instruments are distinctly different in size and timbre, and I have had to develop a second, very different playing style to accommodate hers. And I did not actively seek or consciously decide to do this. It just happened. it feels right to have this flexibility.

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my websites

http://keplerquartet.com    

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my books

wendybrek

Brek Renzelman

A love story, survivor's story and eyewitness account of the paranormal, this memoir traces an authentic personal transformation over a 9-month period.


It is an achievement for me that I no longer grieve my wife's absence or the loss. I did not want to become one of those widowers who constantly looks back at what once was. But the loss was very real. I stood by Wendy's side till the end. My advocacy for her medical care was intense. While walking down the hallway of the skilled nursing facility where she was housed at one stage towards the end, I overheard a staff member speaking to a companion and referring to me as "Mr. Wendy." How true that was, at the time.

The story shifts rather quickly from the difficulties of Wendy's dying to the challenges of being just Brek. The book does not dwell on a blow-by-blow account of death by cancer, although I express strong opinions about the medical profession and Wendy's treatment.

Now? I am not so sure that "Mr. Wendy" would be an apt designation of me. I feel as though I have become more myself.

Here is a heartfelt and unflinching account of one survivor's (re)discovery(?) of SELF.

(NOTE: The full manuscript consists of 46 chapters. One more chapter to follow!)

 

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latest

Casimir Greenfield wrote 365 days ago

Hi there - just extending the hand of friendship. I’ve been here f....

carolinelangford wrote 369 days ago

would you be interested in a read swap? Thanks, Caroline

The Knowledge wrote 401 days ago

Brek...please meet 'Madeline' David

Ruth2904 wrote 425 days ago

Hello Brek, Am looking for feedback on To Dream Again. If you have t....

RobertMyles wrote 626 days ago

Hi there! I see you have plenty of space on your book shelf, so it'd ....

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my comments

latest

I wrote 642 days ago

Hello, Strachan! Thank you for inviting me to read the first chapter of your book and for commenting on my book, "wendybrek." I see the raw material here of a very good story, and I like the cadence of your writing style (in spite of the many punctuation and formatting errors, which others her... view book

I wrote 1151 days ago

Hi, Susie, I've started reading your book, and I am struck with the section in Chapter 1 beginning, "When Daddy wasn't around, Mama was always happy and singing and playing with us." The tone here is so refreshingly positive after an almost alienatingly traumatic start to the book and has the eff... view book

I wrote 1221 days ago

Thanks so much, Suzannah! I'm new here, as is obvious, so I'm still getting my bearings. LOTS of requests to read stuff, which sounds exciting but also a bit overwhelming. And I very much appreciate your no-strings-attached endorsement. I'll be keeping my eye out for your book! Brek view book

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