Don Wood

So long, my valued friends. It was an honor and a blessing to know you. I will keep you all in my heart. Take care, I wish you the best and Godspeed. Don

Blue moon -- I saw you standing alone, without a dream in my heart, without a love of my own. Etc.

Neat!

Neat!

I'm almost 73 and proud of it. So I tell my age, sometimes even if not asked. LOL Don

There is really no way to prepare for the "inevitable" -- it will still be a great loss. But you can take one day at a time with whatever time there is, and give support to your loved one and family. If you can, talk about what is on your heart and on theirs. Best to you. Don

Sometimes we can do more than we give ourselves credit for. My wife died in September in the hospital. I didn't think I could ever go back there. About two months ago, my ex-DIL was in the same hospital for tests and my granddaughter asked me to go see her mother. I felt I could not refuse, and made myself go. Well, it was very hard going in the same parking lot, walking to the same building, going through the same doors and taking the same elevator. But with deep breaths, I made it. And I am more relaxed now about hospitals. It was like I moved passed this bugaboo. I know your circumstances are different and you may not be ready to do that. I wish you the best. Don

I am so sorry, Tanner, that you are having such a bum experience with Hospice. They can be so supportive. Reminds me of a lady I met a few years ago who said she was "a graduate of Hospice"! She actually got better and recovered! Take care, my friend. Don

Neat!

For me, it depends on the time, the place, the circumstances. If I offer advice, I would do it privately and not publicly. Don

Your mom is very much a part of you, and she will live on in your life, your memories, your dreams. The best gift, I believe, we can give our parents is to live the best "our life" we can, with love and service for all we meet. Don

Chuckle chuckle cackle snort!

Godspeed, Tina, and thanks for all your contributions here to help others. Don

This post is very hard for me to do. But I need to do it in order to get on with my life. I have thought, reflected and prayed much about whether or not to stay on LCSC. I very much admire and applaud those of you who have lost love ones and yet have chosen to stay and help others here. You are a blessing indeed. But, for me, I need to move on to other endeavors in order to heal as much as I will heal. I want to thank all of you who loved, supported and cared for Lucie and myself these past four and a half years. You have made an arduous journey a lot easier in so many ways. I am forever grateful. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I want to especially thank Katie and Rick, who are angels on earth, for providing this forum for all of us joined by LC. They will never know the full impact of their love on so many. You are special people, Mr and Mrs. Brown. I have signed up for a program in my church called Stephen Ministry. It is a ministry of one-on-one lay ministers to people in crisis. The training starts in August, and I will follow in Lucie’s footsteps and continue that work for us. I have promised Katie that I will keep in touch with her and let her know how I am doing. I will honor that. Thanks again, my dear friends, for being you. I will linger here for another week or so, and then I will be on my way. God bless you all. Don

Our dear Connie B has made her 4000th post on lchelp. Congratulations, Connie, and thanks so much for all the support, love and care you give so many here. Connie is also a great inspiration and hope with her 12 years of survivorship with Stage IIIB NSCLC. Connie has been with us 4 years and is also a moderator. Hip hip hooray for our Connie! Blessings! Don

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KATIE!!!

Great, Raney!

Missy, my heartfelt sympathies. I think I hurt more for my children's obvious pain at loosing their mom, as I did for my own loss of a spouse. May you find peace. Don

Beth, I am so happy to hear where you are, and I know Lucie would be happy for you, too. Take care. Don

Well, Hawaiians aren't the only ones who want to go to Las Vegas. I met an Australian couple on my Hawaii vist last week and asked them if they had ever been to the mainland U. S. Oh, yes -- Las Vegas. Go figure. Don

Welcome back, Mark. I am 8 months from my loss -- still in the first year. Will be glad when that milestone has passed. Don

Great news, Bill! Congratulations!

I am not from Hawaii, but I just returned from a week's stay there. All the major islands have great beaches. You might want to look up the Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce for suggestions. Many people like Maui for its beaches. The Big Island of Hawaii has an active volcano, which you can fly over in a helicopter. Kauai is very lush and has a great canyon. And, Oahu, where Honolulu is, has many tourist sights. It is good that you are taking time for yourself and family. Don

Great idea, Ry! Glad to see all the report-ins. Don

Good to see your post, Cindy, and congratulations on your survivorship and all the great events. I had missed your contributions. Don