Learning to live with life and art

Learning to live with what life sends our way can be so difficult at times.  In February  2008 my husband, Jack Cassinetto, a great artist and wonderful person, became critically ill with right tonsil cancer.  When I told him what the doctor said, "yes, it is cancer," the light began to fade from his beautiful big brown eyes and, over the last 10 years, it never really returned in the same way.  In addition to being ill with the cancer he became extremely mentally ill and I was left to cope, almost alone, with this over the last 10 years.  Our entire life changed in that instant and all that was so good about it was gone for good. I had very little support from his family and I had no family nearby.  His son tried to assist us but he was working and making a living in a city 100 miles away and he really had no idea how to help.  In about 2016 Jack became more of who he used to be mentally, but was failing physically, and my mind, battered from extreme stress and pain, also started to heal.  We had a couple of almost good years together and we talked about his art and my photography, although we did nothing else together; he would no longer travel and had no interest in doing anything other than art and he was really never the same person again. I was ok with where the relationship was at and, I learned to live with it and struggled to make something of my life with photography as well: I supported his artwork 100% so that he could continue to have that passion in his life.  On January 4, 2018, at the age of 73 my husband passed away peacefully in his sleep.  Now he is out of the pain that he had been in for the last 10 years but I am so saddened by this loss; he was my best friend, my mentor, my anchor.  Some of the last 10 years had been so very tough and so very terrible but I would do anything to have him back again, just to talk with him for a few minutes even.  I will miss his sense of humor, which he did partially get back, and his love for me. In his honor I am sharing some photos of him, mostly taken by me, over the last 10 years as I learned about photography.  He created great artwork right up until the very last days of his life.