Ann

Still remembering Billy in my prayers. So good to hear that the surgery went well. Please keep us posted as you can.

((((((((Connie))))))))) So very sorry to hear of your loss.

So very sad after reading this post. Teri was a blessing for us all. What a beautiful angel she must be!

Melinda...it's so great to hear from you!!! It sounds like things are going well for you and mom. Please keep in touch as often as possible. I think of you often and miss ya!!!!

(((((((((((Sue))))))))))))) I know all so well where you're heart is today. I don't think there is an emptier feeling that facing that first anniversary alone. I still have a bottle of bubbly chilling in my fridge that Dennis hand picked to celebrate our 25th but he never made it. I don't think that bottle will ever leave my fridge. Hang in there....I love you. Ann

Oh...drive in movies were my favorites. In Tennessee, there were still a couple around even when my boys were little. Dennis and I used to put them in their jammies and off we'd go for a nice evening. The kids would usually fall asleep in the back seat and Dennis and I could actually enjoy a movie in peace and quiet. As parents, we were too tired to fog up the windows...lol! But...during high school I did my share of fogging! I'm so glad to hear these are coming back in some areas. Sure hope this catches on in my area!!!

I know we have a wide range of ages on this board, so I thought it would be neat to see how many of us have ever been to a drive-in movie? If you were one of the ones fortunate enough to experience a drive-in, do you have any special memories associated ????

Prayers for our dear friend Teri.

Continuing to remember Keith and Carleen in my thoughts and prayers.

Saying prayers for Billy.

Here...Here...A toast to our Cindi!!! I have enjoyed all 4000 posts and look forward to reading more and more!!!

So....what did you do with the time you usually spend at LCSC Message Board while the site was down?

Geri...Sent a copy to my boys, too. Guess they will be busy making reservations at the old folk's home after reading this...lol

Memorial holiday's true meaning by Dino Ciliberti Summer is so close. You can almost breathe in the sea air. You can almost smell the barbecue. You can almost taste the hot dogs. Yes, summer is finally arriving, at least unofficially, with the Memorial Day weekend. But before you get ready to enjoy the sun, surf and sand, take a moment next weekend to think about something else other than summer - think about service. Think about the men and women who serve our country. And think about the ones who gave their lives so we can have the freedom to enjoy our lives... We forget at times that America is still a country at war. We are so numb these days to the death toll of U.S. soldiers in Iraq that often we don't even give it a second thought. This isn't the Vietnam War where our citizens are revolting against the government. Yes, people will gather and hold signs stating their displeasure. People will argue that we've done enough with Iraq and it's time to bring our troops home. And most polls will show that Americans are unhappy with how President Bush has handled the Iraq conflict. But nobody is staging major protests like during the Vietnam War. You see more of those about immigration than about our blood being spilled on foreign soil. Most of us really seem to forget the definition of Memorial Day. Ask many people and they won't even really know what the day is supposed to mean. Or maybe they don't really care. Memorial Day used to be a sacred day. How many can actually say that they take in a parade or go to a ceremony to see a flag raised or a wreath placed on a grave. I'm sure not many young people do this. I'm sure not too many people in general do this. We would rather bask in the warmth of the sun and kick back on a holiday than really take the time to pay our respects to those who have died in our nation's service. Memorial Day was officially proclaimed a holiday in New York in 1873. By 1890, it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South, though, wouldn't join in. Those states honored their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in all wars). Now every state celebrates Memorial Day on the last Monday in May. That date was passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 to ensure a three-day weekend for federal holidays. But has it really just become a three-day weekend? Maybe we have lost the significance of this important day. Veterans Day seems to be the one day we can count on now to remember our veterans - but that day is for the soldiers who are still among us. What about our forgotten heroes? Who will remember them? We should all be able to devote a portion of Memorial Day - even a small amount of time at that - to doing something to honor our heroes. So go have that barbecue. And enjoy the beach. But do something to memorialize our fallen soldiers. We couldn't enjoy this holiday if it wasn't for them.

WHEN I'M AN OLD LADY When I'm an old lady, I'll live with my kids, and make their life happy and filled with such fun. I want to pay back all the joy they've provided, returning each deed. Oh, they'll be so excited. When I'm an old lady and live with my kids. I'll write on the wall with red, white, and blue; and bounce on the furniture wearing my shoes. I'll drink from the carton and then leave it out. I'll stuff all the toilets and oh, they'll shout. When I'm an old lady and live with my kids. When they're on the phone and just out of reach, I'll get into things like sugar and bleach. Oh, they'll snap their fingers and then shake their head, and when that is done I'll hide under the bed. When I'm an old lady and live with my kids. When they cook dinner and call me to meals, I'll not eat my green beans or salads congealed. I'll gag on my okra, spill milk on the table, and when they get angry, run fast as I'm able. When I'm an old lady and live with my kids. I'll sit close to the TV, through the channels I'll click. I'll cross both my eyes to see if they stick. I'll take off my socks and throw one away, and play in the mud until the end of the day. When I'm an old lady and live with my kids. And later in bed, I'll lay back and sigh, and thank God in prayer and then close my eyes; and my kids will look down with a smile slowly creeping, and say with a groan, "she's so sweet when she's sleeping." when I'm an old lady and live with my kids. - Author unknown

I am so very sorry that you mom is ill and also sorry that you are having to deal with her illness. I feel it is very important that you talk to your mom, very openly. As the patient, she probably already has many of the answers to questions you have. I believe, as so many on this board, that treatment options are something the patient should choose. It sounds as if your mom has already decided not to pursue aggressive treatment at this time. Like others have said, your mom's illness might progress very fast OR she could have a lot of time left. Go back and read Val's post about talking openly to your mom. Val is a very wise young mother with lots of advice that she has learned through some very rough experience. I will be remembering you and your mom in my prayers. Oh....don't assume the cigarettes were the cause for your mom's illness. There are many non-smokers that develop lung cancer.

Val, I think Katie and I have been sufferinf from insomnia for about the same length of time now. Mine all started when Dennis was ill. I "taught" myself to sleep very lightly, so that I could hear any move he might make. Then, as things progressed, I would stay awake and look at his face, trying to memorize every detail. Then, after he was gone, it was not being able to sleep at all. This continues. I can fall sound asleep on the sofa, while trying my best to stay awake to finish a program. Then, when I go to bed, I find myself wide awake. So....I keep my little Ambien pills in the medicine cabinet so that I can sleep at night and be able to work the next day. I do know that I had to move the clock to an area of the bedroom where I couldn't see it. I would see every hour pass and get more nervous with each passing hour, as I realized I had to have some rest in order to function at work. Hope this gets better for you!

Sandy, I am so very sorry. I know celebrating these two lives together will be a really beautiful event for you and your family. I'm thinking of you and saying a prayer.

I would have to say that I learn best by watching and doing. I'm one of those people that have a terrible time reading directions and being able to follow them. It's also really hard for me to pick up on things by being told how to do them and not being shown. I think I have a disability that makes me lose part of the thought process between reading and doing.

We all learn in different ways. How do you learn best...by listening, watching, reading or doing???

I think I'm going to move to Oklahoma if I can get a house like that for $30K. Hey...I could sell my house in Florida, make money off the sale and pay for one heck of an exterminator to come in and wipe out those nasty fleas!!!

Still saying prayers for Rose.

So very sorry, Carleen. Of course I will say prayers for Uncle Ken and Aunt Bernie. I will also say a prayer for your father. I know how difficult this must be for him.

Joanie....I'm right here worrying and praying along with you!!!

((((((Debbie))))) So sorry you are having to play this waiting game. You know, there are times when caregivers (especially wives) have to take the reins into their own hands and get tough. I was one of these wives. My husband was always very mellow about his treatment and I was the one that always had to ask the questions, make demands and obtain information. I think this was partially because Dennis never wanted to know too much about his illness. He put all his trust in his doctor and took the "what have we got to lose" approach. If I were you, I would march over to that doctors office and demand to know what is going on with my husband's illness. If at all possible, don't use the telephone to request information. It's too easy for the staff to "blow you off" when you're on the phone. when you're standing in front of them, it's harder to turn you away without giving you answers. I'll be remembering you and your husband in my prayers. Please let us know what you find out!