The loss of close Friends

[Gary~]

I am sorry for your losses. The death of those close to us can indeed be difficult -- it's a part of our lives that we just have to accept.

For those that are religious they have that consolation of the after-life which is better than this one.

And for the athiests -- well, I like to think that we were all dead before we were born and that was ok wasn't it? So we just sort of go back to the way things were before we were alive -- I reckon that it must be easier to die than to be born. Dying is really not so bad.

[Petunia]

Mike, I am truly sorry for your loss!  Here is a {{{{HUG}}}}  for you!  My Mom passed away 6 months ago tomorrow, and it is one of the hardest things to get past!  I have  found that you never get over death (No matter who it is!), but you learn to go on and enjoy life once again!  Give yourself time to grieve!  Treasure those that you hold dear to your heart!  Make sure you let them know how important they are to you.  I am praying for you.  Hang in there.

[Mikekoz13]

Mike, I am truly sorry for your loss!  Here is a {{{{HUG}}}}  for you!  My Mom passed away 6 months ago tomorrow, and it is one of the hardest things to get past!  I have  found that you never get over death (No matter who it is!), but you learn to go on and enjoy life once again!  Give yourself time to grieve!  Treasure those that you hold dear to your heart!  Make sure you let them know how important they are to you.  I am praying for you.  Hang in there.

Thank you Mrs. P.

[Switchy]

Thanks Mike,

Great Story and very touching ! 

We are all born and there is time to go home hopefully after our mission is complete on this earth.  Some have such a short time, children that have not had time to even find out what life is all about !  They die through abuse, neglect, murder, cancer, !  I in past jobs have wondered WHY ?  Became very bitter , not good, only person it hurts is you !  Never have found out the answer of the questions.  The loss of loved ones one way or another is always bitter and not sweet.  I have buried so many over the years.  And Mike it is never easy.  Until you become numb , and just know that they are in  a better place  they have done their time on this earth.  And someday we are going to see them.     Well most of them .  Unh said ! 

[Slyfive]

Sorry for your loss Mike, it's always a sad time, but it does help you reflect on how good the times were. I always like to think that all my loved ones that have passed are upstairs playing a big game of poker and cheating terribly. If they had a good time in this world, I have no doubt in my mind that they will have a good time in the next.

People too often undervalue simple interactions, but it seems like something as simple as playing word games has stuck with you, and these are the tickets memories. God bless, Mike

[Frontier Guy]

Thanks Mike for posting. Wonderfully poignant.

People such as your friends come into our lives for no apparent reason, and yet they have a profound impact on us which will simmer for years or decades to come. This week I've been thinking about people who arrived in my life at various times which were crucial in my direction.

When I think of them I feel a special connection again, and the world seems that much better.

Appreciate and enjoy the memories of your dear friends. Don't let them fade.

[Petunia]

Thank you Mrs. P.
[/quote]

You are very welcome, and my name is Debbie. :-)

[baldjoeg]

Hey Mike,

My deepest sympathy to You on the loss of your Dad. and also on the loss of your 2 close friends. We were lucky tohave them around as log as we did.

I lost my dead in 1968 at age 64 and my Mom in 1995 at the age of 87 in October, 1995. My Dad was a Doctor. He did such a great job of taking care of others he did not do such a god jb of taking care of himself. I still miss both of them a lot. I am sure that you will find comfort in the good memories that you had of all of them when they were well. This has helped me out a lot.

Peace my friend. Thanks for sharing.

[baldjoeg]

Voodoo,

My sympathies to you also on the loos of your Dad. As I told Koz, you will have your memories of the good times to help you through this.

Take care.

[Switchy]

The losses of loved ones, friends, people that we have served with over life.  There are always some wonderful times , that none of us will ever forget.  Now days they have many people you can go to, to express how you feel and what you want to say.   Back in the day when I was growing up !  School was let out early and friends got together if we had parents that we could talk to we talked about it , other wise we sucked it up , and moved on and wondered why.  Guess we still do !     But like Charlie Rich had a song called "For the good Times!"   

[clarinetguy]

Mike, Just seeing this now. My sympathies to you and your family. The impact each passing life has unfolds even more after the loss for sure. Very close neighbors just lost a young adult child. At age 53 I too feel the passage of time and sometimes it creeps up quickly. May you have those moments when the presence of your loved ones comforts you at just the right time. Thanks for being open to share with all of us.

[b.driscoll]

   Mike,sorry for your loss of family and friends..............one thing that has helped me to go on after losing parents, and a sibling unexpectedly is that they are always alive in the people they touched in life. That may sound corny but for me it makes a lot of sense.

[killingmesoftly]

Sorry for your loss.  It is good though that you got to know such good people. You would be surprised how many people don't know what it means to have a true friend. I lost my best friend at 21 and was lucky to have the time I did have with him. I do not subscribe to any religion, but I do believe that we live in the hearts and minds of our loved ones, and until they are gone from the world, neither are we.

I find that comforting.

[Mikekoz13]

Thank you again guys.

A group of us close Friends were with Ron's wife last weekend. We were all telling stories about Ron and laughing like crazy.

[Sir Harry]

Bad news, guys.....one of my former subordinate soldiers was found dead in his apartment this morning at 29 (presumed suicide) I just got out of the military in July, and I saw this guy before Christmas, and everything seemed okay....but I didn't ask him and I am now beating myself up for not asking him....this is the second suicide in eight months in my unit....I think we need to look out for each other as a whole through actions and not just words.....That's why it's important to me if a forum member is trying to reach out (or anyone for that matter) we need to pay closer attention (Sorry Mike if I hijacked your thread but I thought it correlated to losing a close friend )