Thinking of you & your family, SC.

You are always one of the first to respond to these kinds of threads, and it was no different when I've posted of my parents' health problems. I sincerely return your kindness and wish you peace during this very difficult time.

AppleOnYa

Thank you Apple!

SC, you and your mom will be in my thoughts and prayers, and I hope that you can draw from the love and support of your BB family to have the strength to get you through this. Take care!

Bless you, gina, and thanks!

Thanks again to everyone for your kind words of encouragement!

I'm driving back to New York today with a boatload of stuff. Any and all positive thoughts or prayers are greatly appreciated. I'll let you guys know when I'm in the great state of New York!

Drive carefully.

(good advice, huh?)

Make sure you stay awake

Yeah, I'm driving with a friend of the family and we're going to take turns driving so we don't have to stop and rest.

That's still a very long trip, even while taking turns at the wheel. What route are you taking?

Also, Don't crash into any trees

I think it's I-30 up through Tennessee and Virginia/West Viriginia, etc.

yeah, it is quite a long trip, you still may have to stop and rest

Hopefully taking turns driving and sleeping will do the trick but we won't know until we get out there. We're both hoping to be in New York by sometime later Thursday morning/early afternoon. I'm suppose to leave here at any moment know (just waiting on his call to meet up)

Are you going to be back in New York for good?

Yup. Gotta find a job when I do but yes

SC,

Just wondering how your mother is. Is she going to have the operation?

I continue to pray for her.



TIS

Just letting everyone know I got into New York alright. I've FINALLY moved back to the great state of New York!

Congrats on the move back home Irish.

Thanks Mig!

Teens killed in car crash

The story above was wife's cousin, Samantha. We just attended her high school graduation party two weekends ago. This happened at a family reunion that my wife's mother's side has been doing in for the past 50+ years. Evidently her car was struck when an oncoming car hit her head on after swerving left of center.

We didn't make it to the reunion this year for a couple of different reasons. I'm glad my kids did not have to see this. The accident was about 1 mile from the location of the reunion. Samantha's dad is a firefighter in Parma and rode with her on the life flight helicopter, but it sounds like she passed at the scene of the accident. The other victim was Samantha's boyfriend.

I'm not going to pretend that I knew her well, but she was a nice kid. She was 18 years old and had her whole life ahead of her. Now she is gone for no reason whatsoever. Her parents both are in shock and have the horror of burying a child.

All I did last night was sit and hold my daughter as she slept, realizing how fragile and cruel life can sometimes be. I just feel sick to my stomach at the anguish these parents are experiencing.

Please keep the family and friends of these two teens in your thoughts and prayers.

goombah, I'm so sorry. My prayers go out to the families of these kids. Their anguish must be unbearable. It is cruel that in a horrifying, random instant a joyous occasion becomes the darkest day of your life.

Oh Goombah, that is horrible. I hate to hear about these sorts of tragedies. Your family is in my prayers.

Goombah,

That's awful! I will keep her family in my prayers.

My cousin's son (about two years ago) too, just graduated from High School. He had a fight (not really a major fight, but a fight) with his mother, left the house and wrapped his car around a telephone poll and died. It was absolutely awful. No drugs/alcohol involved,but he was speeding and lost control. Of course his mother was devasted.

It's horribly sad in any case, but when it's a young person just starting life it's especially sad.

TIS

Goombah, my friend, I am so sorry to hear about this. It is too, too awful when someone so young is taken from us.

I do have her and your entire family in my thoughts and prayers.

I'm so sorry for your lose goombah. I will be praying for them as well.

Always take the time to tell those who mean so much to you that you love them. It's free of charge, takes only a second, but can go a LONG way for that person.

Im sorry to hear this Goombah..

So true I12. Only since I've grown older does it seem so important. I find I'll throw little comments to my kids, like "now, when I'm gone, I don't want you guys to kick yourselves over "I shoulda, woulda, coulda" type things and went on to say, "I am sorry for anything I've ever done to hurt you guys", etc. Ha ha ha. They tell me to stop talking like that, but I feel the need to get it out.

Why, my mother, God bless her, and I were known within my family for constantly bickering. I decided to end it some years ago and perhaps she did too, because it stopped and I'm glad. I would hate it if she left me, and I had to think back of all the silly bickering. Do I hold my tongue at times? You bet, but I'm glad. She's my mother and I love her. It's human nature to argue and at times not to get along, and yes, we still have somemoments, but don't make it a regular thing.

TIS

Thanks to all for the kind words.

This kind of thing just gave me a wake-up call as to how to focus on what is truly important. I've gotten so bogged down in such inconsequential minutae lately that I had lost sight of what truly matters. Now my eyes have been opened that each minute of each day is a precious gift not to be squandered. It's one thing to hear that kind of saying, but it's another altogether to feel it inside.

It's such a tough thing for the parents of these deceased teens because you do so much as a parent to protect your kids. But the older they get, the more independent they become. I just want to wrap up my own kids in my arms, build a 12 foot wall around our house and keep them protected forever. I realize that will never happen, but that's what I would like to do.

Words are not sufficient. It's a kick in the gut and it doesn't go away. Unfortunately we can fall victim to random accidents at any point in our day. The Bible says we do not know the hour nor the day. The reference is made to how we should always be prepared to meet God on our judgement day, but it also alludes to living life to the fullest with love and respect for all.

Prayers to you and your relatives.

Just read an update about the teens that I posted about. They were not at fault and wore their seat belts. The other car veered into their lane (they were traveling opposite directions) and hit them head on. No word yet officially, but the driver has had his license suspended previously for drug use. Of course, health-wise, that asshole is completely fine. He was treated and released from the hospital.