I used to have to do that when I was a hospital chaplain. It is really hard to be the bearer of that kind of news.

We should all keep in mind the old adage: No matter how bad you think you have it…It could be worse.


BTW - Hats off to you guys for covering that chore. Watching loved ones pass and delivering that news have to be the top two.

Toughest thing?
 

Going to school at night while working two jobs between 1989 and 1994. Kind of like having three jobs, and you don't get paid (immediately) for one.

Surviving the perfect storm of my divorce, my mother's death, getting sober, getting the flu, and being fired, all in less than six months.

The first was like running a 10K or a marathon. The second was more like an intense sprint while being chased by wolves.

Compared to those, moving from LA to CO in 1997, and back to The Swamp in 2001, while rough, were pretty easy.
.

I look back on my life and think most of the pain I've had to suffer was the result of my own stupidity and poor choices. I'd say I'm pretty fortunate in that regard.

What is hard to deal with is seeing children suffer.

On any level.

Close at hand here:
Seeing kids run around the yard of their dilapidated house in nothing but a soiled diaper while dad sits on the tailgate of his new 40K 4x4 truck drinking beer and smoking with his buddies, kills me.

Living proof that people need to qualify for a license to breed.
.

Going to someones home and having to tell them their spouse/son/daughter had been killed. I had to do this several times. It sucked everytime and never got better.


A good friend of mine lost his 20 yr old son Monday in a motorcycle accident. The driver of the car that hit him head on was 18 yrs old and has been charged with DWI and death by auto, a first degree crime in NJ. Happened in broad daylight. The family is devastated beyond belief!
2 young lives destroyed forever, although I have no sympathy for the driver.

He will go to jail for a long time..15 to 20 my guess.

http://www.nbc40.net/view_story.php?id=6288

It isn't really for life anymores. Pretty much until one or both of us feels that the relationship pays less dividends than fees.

One day you'll have to tell us all the story of how you met your wife and proceeded to sweep her off her feet....

IIRC, I have covered it but here goes.

I was a draftee in the military of a different country. Did everything to physically downgrade myself and finally managed to stay sick enough to get thrown out of boot camp. They paid and treated me like crap, I behaved like crap. I even made my S3 so frustrated with me that he started ranting and raving about sending a letter to G1 to have me fired although there was no such option for draftees. During one of those physicals, I was walking out of the facility when I saw a girl across the road that I thought might be nice to get physical with. Crossed over and asked for change for the bus. She told me that I could have change if I told her how to get to a certain bookstore. Told her she was heading the wrong way. By chance, I was going that way too. (Surprise, surprise. I didn't even know I was going there). Talked and found that we both liked jazz although I never head a song of it and I liked R&R. One thing led to another and we exchanged numbers. Told her that I would be heading off to school in the USA after the draft was over. She said that was cool and that she too would like to go. The rest is history.

I now think that the hardest thing I've ever done was watch my mother yell at my sister (mom wanted the sister to leave ) on our brother's deathbed.

...and then forgive my mother afterward, but I'm not sure I've done that yet...


-John

That's terrible. I feel bad for everybody involved in that, especially your brother. Was he awake to wintess all of that?

The Brother who passed wasn't aware of what was going on.

I am the 3rd of 6 children, and I learned long ago that few people in this country are on good terms with ALL their siblings and children, and with so many sibilings myself, odds were not in my favor that we'd all stay civil around each other... sux to be us.


Back on tizzopic:
Interesting how many of our "worst" times include death. (makes sense I guess)

It doesn't usually get much worse that death. For everything else there's always another day to try and make things better.

My last divorce fifteen years ago. Didn't see that coming. Went to the store on the way home from work one day and the cashier said my debit card was "insufficient funds"! I checked the account, she had emptied the entire thing out, over $50,000.00!

Got home, all her stuff was gone. We were renting an apartment while we were finalizing building a house.

I hired a private investigator to find out what was going on. My wife was a CPA and made good money! I wanted to make sure that there wasn't foul play involved.

Found out that she was having an affair with her married boss and was using drugs. They both ran off together to use drugs. I called the cops and they were both arrested. I got half of my money back.

What an experience!:eek: