My heart goes out to you. I don't know if husbands are missed more or less than kind, live-at-home sons, but my only 'close' family now, a daughter, is 3,000 miles away. I know what you mean about lonely days.

Best wishes, Marlena. Thank God and Tami for this site!

Dear Marlena,
So nice to see that unlike me, you have not visited here in a long, long while. This is excellent news I believe this means your life is full. I imagine your son may be a senior this year? And perhaps you have a new career now? Perhaps new relationships or grandchildren? Regardless, I wish you all the best.
I am fine, but do have moments & on occasion still come here for solace. Do not post on the wall but relieve pent up feelings in the Blog spot on our page.
Please share a word with me & catch me up to date on how it is going with you- I'd love to know. You & others here are special to me. You all helped me through the most painful event of my existence & I am forever thankful.
Best Wishes Always,
Christy

Marlena,

 I remember reading that your niece was getting married on 12-12-12 and I hope everything was perfect for her. Happy events put the heartbreak on the back burner for a while. I try to read as many of the blogs and comments that I can when I am unable to sleep or the panicky feeling and heaviness in my chest get to be too much to take.  I find some relief in reading here and knowing others feel exactly what I am feeling though they are so much more articulate in expressing their feelings.

  From reading, you and Christy have accomplished much and are able to function much better since losing your beloved spouses. I can only hope that time will let me get on with any kind of life for I am still at the point where I want   to be with her again. There just does not seem to be any purpose or future in life without her by my side.

  I hope all who have been here for a long time continue to come back on once in a while to share their grief and the ways they are healing because it does give those who have recent losses some insight and relief.  God bless you and your family during these trying times.

Hello Marlena!

I suppose you are busy with your daughters wedding; I know it is supposed to be in Oct. but don't know the exact date. I hope it is all she dreamed of & more!

Life for me is as busy as yours sounds. I am taking just 1 class now & hoping the other will be given next semester so I can graduate. My regular job is the same & the npo is consuming every moment I can spare! We did purchase meal plans for the 2 students I mentioned before. On the anniversary of Larry's death the Atlanta news interviewed me about the charity in his memory which lead to newspaper stories & a business partner from a snack company in Manhattan, N.Y.! Then this past friday, I gave a presentation to rec've a grant from General Mills (Cereal). It was frightening but a huge opportunity/ blessing. In addition to these things, I also keep my 2 yr old granddaughter after work while my daughter works. They live with me & this child is my joy!

As you know, better than most, I still miss my husband with every breathe. I still (after 2 yrs) feel as if he's just away- like gone to war or something, & that he'll be home soon. Crazy, but that's really how I feel.

I hope you are moving forward in a positive direction in all aspects of life & I sure hope love finds you (again) in some miraculous way when you are ready to receive it.

Prayers & best wishes for you & yours~ Hugs

Christy

Hi Marlena,

 I don't know if you will ever get this messg. and a part of me hopes you won't- that will mean you have moved beyond this place. I come back every few months it looks like, although to me it feels as if I have been away longer. I think of you & others here often though & say a prayer for you & your families. I was curious as to if you were using your degree or not? I should be finishing mine now, but my school is not offering the 2 courses I need to graduate until Spring semester 2013! I have done all I can to get help with this, but as of this a.m. have accepted it for what is - out of my hands. Meanwhile, the NPO I started in Larry's name is growing. We received our Federal tax exception status in Feb. & were given the names of 2 deserving students in need of our services this wk. Both recently lost their mothers & attending college in the Fall- one at Gordon-a small college nearby, and the other is a football player going to Morehouse in Atlanta! I am praying we will find the resources to help them both.

I wish you & yours the best~

Hugs, Christy

Hello Marlena,

It is so nice to hear from you. Yes, it has been hard, especially leading up to this past weekend but I'm o.k. I took the coward's way out friday & stayed home, stayed in bed as long as I could & never looked at a clock all weekend. I did not want to be aware of that time at all. I was constantly fighting thinking about the events of that day last year. It was too horrible then and it is too horrible to repeat ever again in my mind. Instead my son who is 25 yrs. went w/ me to the Farmers Mrkt in Atlanta & we did some other side stops to eat & bought him some badly needed shoes. It was a beautiful day & it was nice to be with him- it kept me distracted. So you & Nick just got back from Canada? Is that something you have done before? I think it would be awesome to take a train trip through some part of Canada & see the snow/wilderness. I am glad to hear you are enjoying getting out some now. Our lives really can become quite different than what we are used to.

The foundation could be a full time job! Please check us out on Facebook (if you go there)by typing in the entire thing, or copy paste from here: Larry D. Bradley Foundation "Food for Thought" and "LIKE" if you agree with what we are about. We just made this pg & we need to attract some attention through people liking it. Also, you can visit our website at www.larrydbradleyfoundation.org

I try to keep in touch w/ my stepson but it's not easy. He has only been to visit once all summer - only maybe three or four tops in the past year, but each time we have such a good time. He always says he wants to live with us. He has his 1st middle-school football game today so my son Zach & I are going to rush after work & try to catch some of it.

It really is great to hear from you.

Christy

Hello Marlena,

It's been awhile & I just wanted to say "hello" & that I have been thinking of you & yours. I hope life is being good to you. Hugs~ Christy

Unfortuneatly; in  my daughters sudden loss she is lashing out at a few people. Possibly those she may have shared some of the not so good times in her marriage with.

None of those times matter now.But I can't tell her this. I can't say anything to her. She riles and assumes I'm going to say ,"I know how you feel" I think.

That is the last thing I would say to her, as NO ONE knows how we are taking the widowhood experience. The only common denominator is pain as I see it. Rising in us as a mutltitude of feelings.

Unfortuneatly; in  my daughters sudden loss she is lashing out at a few people. Possibly those she may have shared some of the not so good times in her marriage with.

None of those times matter now.But I can't tell her this. I can't say anything to her. She riles and assumes I'm going to say ,"I know how you feel" I think.

That is the last thing I would say to her, as NO ONE knows how we are taking the widowhood experience. The only common denominator is pain as I see it. Rising in us as a mutltitude of feelings.

Marlene, wanted to let you know that I made it through the week-end okay. I had some sad teary moments but all in all it was not near as bad as I had anticipated.

I was very glad when my kids got home yesterday but at least now I can be stay a night by myself and not be afraid. I knew that God and my Waymon were both right there with me and i know he would be proud of me because he always worried about me being alone. Hope you have a good day.