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Comment by Charles E. Nelson on December 18, 2021 at 11:00am

Dear Marsha,

I got to start the day with a chuckle because of your comment about looking for fog from your breath on the bathroom mirror to see if you're still here. A lady I met a few years ago always answered the question of how she was with saying that if she woke up this side of the dirt, then she was OK for another day.

I'm sorry for the terribly sad and stressful year you've had. You are a good friend to the lady who lost her husband and two children - such unimaginable loss would indeed cause one to feel like she's abandoned by everyone she loves, and your understanding of her grief is surely a huge comfort and source of strength for her.

You are always in our prayers, as is everyone Steve and I have known from this caring group - without you all we wouldn't have known how to navigate our own grief, much less have gotten to know each other.

Many Blessings to you dear Marsha, and to all here - 

Love, Chuck

Comment by Marsha H on December 18, 2021 at 6:19am

Merry Christmas Todd, Chicago Beard, Sara, Trina, Chuck and Steve and hope I didn't miss anyone.  I think of all of you often and as I said in Diane's post I pray for you all every single night believe it or not.  I want all of you to have good health; keep living and keep up those good future memories. This old bag isn't down yet by a long shot!  I get up in the morning and breath on the bathroom mirror and if I see fog on the glass I know I'm good for another day.  I have my bad days, but this Irish/Scottish gal isn't going to let anything get me down and I pop right back up and ready to go.  So here is to posting in 2022.  May all of you have have a Happy New Year and praying for a better one.

Love to all

Marsha

Comment by Marsha H on December 18, 2021 at 6:11am

Dear Diane C ...

Thank you for waking us up!  LOL  Seriously this has not been a good year for me.  Several of my friends have become quite ill after their shots and unfortunatley, one friend had a stroke shortly after his 2nd shot (age 52 and was healthy as a horse before that and his doctor verified it was the shots cause the problem and the worst of all is my girlfriend of 50 years lost her husband 2 years ago; 16 months later her daughter (46) passed away from cancer and 16 months after her daughter's death on Dec. 5th her eldest son passed away from blood clots after his shots and then a brain bleed leaving his wife and 2 children in their early teens.  The saddest remark from my friend was, 'I feel like everyone is leaving me.'  She has one son still healthy and has had the shots and so far so good.  I am in constant contact with my friend to help her with this unbelievable grief she is going through.  She is alone most of the time and during spring and summer when the weather has settled we visit.  With winter months I'm not good at driving at night if raining.  My friend is the same, but we do keep in touch by phone and I just let her get things off her chest and as we all know grief is different for everyone. 

I am pretty much alone with my 2 dogs and sometimes I feel like I'm going crazy with all this Covid, variants and now the new virus.  I am lucky that my sister-in-law comes every 2nd Saturday to visit.  Most of my friends are just too fearful of this Covid and now the new virus.  I am blessed that I will be going to my brother's and his wife's home for Christmas dinner and seeing my great niece and nephew.  I am thankful for small blessings.  

My 7' tree is up, but just the lights on it and this is the first year I have had to push myself to get it decorated.  I can't have my usual pre-Christmas buffet due to Covid.  

So now everyone who reads this post knows why I haven't posted.  I realize everyone has their memories of their loved ones and I don't like expressing my problems that much here.  I'm turning 80 this January/22 and I'm told I don't look it or act like it so there is hope for this wild gal yet!  LOL  I refuse to let this Covid beat me and take my happiness away.  I keep buys, try to remember my many blessings and keep my faith.  I pray a lot and all of you are in my prayers.  

Keep your chins up and have a Very Merry Christmas!  Memories are so important even now.

Love you alll

Marsha

Comment by Charles E. Nelson on December 17, 2021 at 9:40am

Hello everyone,

Thank you Diane C for waking up this site again. Hi to Todd, Chicago Beard, Sara, Trina, Marsha, and any other long time members out there. I too wonder how you're all doing and hope silence indicates positive things in your lives. Hi also to Deborah, Mary Jane, and anybody newer who may still be reading posts here.

I had a moment yesterday when I opened a box of decorations and saw Larry's favorite - a wooden Nutcracker figure. It always got a place of honor where he would see it daily, so I placed it just inside the front door on a chest I pass all day long - it's nice to see it there. I put Mark's favorite Santa candlesticks on a table next to where Steve sit's and he too appreciates seeing them there. In short, no matter the amount of time passed since our loss, the love and memories live as long as we do. I find that comforting, and hope as this year draws to a close you all find comfort and peace in your own private ways.

Merry Christmas, and to our Jewish friends a late Happy Hanukkah. May next year bring you good health and many moments of happiness - 

Love, Chuck

Comment by Chicago Beard on December 16, 2021 at 2:29pm

Thought I would drop in to give everyone a holiday shout out. Hoping that the lack of recent comments indicates that all of us are healing. Hope your holiday season is a good one. Talk to you next year! 

Comment by Todd B. Goodrich on December 16, 2021 at 12:27pm

Hi Diane,

Some of us are still here! Glad to hear from you. Hope and pray that you all are well! Shout out to Sara, Chuck, Steve, Trina, Chicago, and our dear Marsha!

Love,

Todd 

Comment by Diane C on December 16, 2021 at 11:28am

Hello everyone, 

It's been so quiet here for so long. Just wondered if you have all moved on to another site or what is going on. I don't post a lot, but I do love to see how everyone is doing, good and bad. With the holidays coming so soon, I hope everyone is coping as best they can. It's been 9 years for me, but it still feels like only a couple years instead. Life certainly is not what it used to be, but I do have a daughter who does check in on me and makes sure all is well. I am still working at 65 and plan to continue as long as I can. I don't really have any hobbies or anything. I really hate doing anything alone, so work is best for me at this point. I hope and pray that you are all well and coping as best you can.  ❤

Comment by Charles E. Nelson on November 2, 2021 at 11:12am

Hello Mary Jane,

I've missed so much the conversations here, always finding some common topic or experience that reassures me that my emotional reactions to certain occurrences aren't "out of line".

I've been avoiding watching the video I have of Larry, even though several times in recent months I've had the desire to do so. I can't actually forget his voice because, and this may be the first time I've said this here - our voices were nearly identical. This was especially true over the phone, prompting the same comments from our families and friends alike - "OK, which one am I talking to?" In most cases it was funny, but sometimes being mistaken was annoying or verging on insulting.

When Larry's  youngest daughter Kerry would call she would always reply to my "Hello" with a questioning "Dad?" When I said it was Chuck, she wouldn't say hi or ask how I was - just "Is my Dad there? after this went on for years, I finally started playing with her (especially when I was in my cups as it were). I'd say "Yes, he's right here, but tell me - how are you? and your husband and kids - tell me all about them!" This was met with a brief terse reply and asking again for Larry, but I'd persist for minutes until Larry would catch my eye and make a slicing motion across his throat, meaning "Cut it out!"

After their conversation he'd ask why I was doing that, and I'd tell him I loved aggravating her, forcing her to acknowledge the fact that I lived there too, whether she liked it or not!

I know it was small of me, but I was sharing that story with my cousin who is sadly having great difficulty coping with the loss of her long-time companion this year. His family is treating her as if their relationship was less than it was, and she's hurt, angry, and felling guilty for being bitter about it. I have told her she has the right to have whatever emotions and feelings accompany her grieving, and having their love diminished in the eyes of his brothers is a valid reason to feel dismissed and angry. I hope I did the right thing there.

Anyway Mary Jane, we will both watch and listen to our guys when we're ready and strong enough - that knife in the heart is unfortunately something I'm beginning to get used to  - but that doesn't lessen the shock or pain.

Much love and a hug,

Chuck

Comment by Charles E. Nelson on November 2, 2021 at 8:07am

Hello Deborah,

I just saw your post last night and am hoping that you took the trip with your family. Seeing the Fall colors along with seeing the family farm would be heavenly for me - I would practically give my arm to see the leaves in Mass. and see my grandparents' farm in Hancock in the Berkshires once more!

However, I also understand your feelings, and have found myself also being somewhat detached and withdrawn from the world at times over the last month. I went the opposite route, and became obsessed with working on my dolls and monster figures for Halloween setups in my china cabinet and on the mantle - even inside the unused fireplace. That place has become the "family room" of my Addams Family dolls, although I only have Gomez and Morticia done so far.

Steve has been also incredibly busy making diorama backdrops, furniture, and even fashioning working lamps, all in the same 1/6th scale as my collection. He has found there's a gaping lack of this size merchandise available for serious collectors looking for quality, so hopes to begin offering these items for sale through some online venue. I may also offer some of my creations too, but currently do it just for my own satisfaction.  I'm quite the perfectionist, so end up redoing things often when a costume, face design, or hairstyle doesn't please me.  For Halloween I customized a Wolfman figure, applying faux fur carefully row by row with glue to his entire head (which took the better part of a week). 

I will ask Steve to share some photos since my phone isn't linked to this site - he can explain about his work better than I, and hopefully will show you my Frankenstein's monster and his bride, who are two of my favorites on the mantle!

However you do it, I have faith that you will come through all of your darkness you are experiencing currently.  My sympathy again on the loss of your sister, which undoubtedly has had aa depressing effect on your mood. When you make yourself do something it sometimes breaks through a self-imposed block, or at least it can work for me. Just come here and share when you want, and I 'm sending a hug that reminds you that we are still here for you even when long periods of silence occur.

Love, Chuck 

Comment by Marsha H on October 29, 2021 at 5:18am

Hi Deborah ...  It's so good to hear from you.  It's been so quiet on here.  I am so very sorry your sister May passed away.  I was not aware.  

Isn't it odd how quickly we can forget our sweetheart's voices.  I have a few on CD's, but my CD player isn't working.  I just can't remember Ernie's voice.  It makes me feel otherwise when I can't play the CD's that I dreamt up our marriage.  

I can understand after your sister passing away and then the Covid doesn't help (too much time to think) that you have lost interest in many things and don't even want to go out.  Right now I'm in the same mode.  I live alone with my dogs and of course not many visit with the exception of my sister-in-law every 2nd Saturday mainly because of Covid.  People here in B.C. are getting so paranoid.  Also so many of my friends are not well and that includes my younger set of friends.  Just found out that my friend Karen's husband who is only 59 had a stoke and he is in such good shape so it came as quite a shock.  Thankfully he came home on Thursday and is doing well.  I have to admit it brings up my own mortality.  Then my dear next door neighbor Dan who has always been here for me to fix things around the house has been extremely ill and is not doing well at all.  I do phone just to be sure he is OK while his girlfriend is at work.  He is that ill.  I seem to get nothing, but bad news and sometimes afraid of opening my eyes in the morning.  Like you I have just shut-down right now and hope I can shake my head and come out of it.  Find I don't want to do much of anything.  I know it will be hard for you to take that small group trip BUT DO IT!  You will feel much better and nature seems to calm us down.  Without warning I'm sure that you will have a sign from May.  For all you know this trip to see Fall leaves is a sign from May.  Telling you to enjoy yourself.

I hope you have a good weekend too my friend.  We've had weeks of horrific rain on the south coast of British Columbia, Canada.  This weekend is going to be sunny and my great niece is turning 6 and wants me at her party.  Of course I'm going, but it's a long drive and as I said have little energy, but will get there.  Of course she was born on Halloween.  Boo!  LOL  I will be back home at 4:30 PM before the children come knowing on the door.

You have a good time!  Enjoy!

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