‎"There's a rainbow of babies/Draped over the graveyard"

soccerfreaks
soccerfreaks Member Posts: 2,788 Member
in Head and Neck Cancer #1
(John Prine reference)

My dear friend Glenna: You would be pleased to know that I spent the weekend involved with the grandboys, their parents, and their friends in a birthday party. It was a car racing theme, per the young man turning four, and there was lots of water play involved, as you might imagine, along with all of the racecar theme stuff. You would have loved it. I know that about you.

I did not know that you had passed away because I was busy with all of this celebration of young life (even if that counts not being part of it in the early stages, at least not much, for whatever reason). I think you would have accepted that as a valid excuse to miss your passing.

How you and I became such devoted online friends, here and elsewhere, is not so hard to imagine. Yes, you were a devout Christian and I am this Agnostic heathen. Otherwise, we seemed to have much in common, beginning with the fact we shared two cancer diseases, head/neck cancer and lung cancer. More important, we love our kids, we love our grandkids, and you, oddly, share at least a large part of my sense of humor (and then there is the matter of the Patriots :)).

There are few that have been more encouraging about my wiriting than you, few that have indicated more ardently that you found something to smile about in my writing and looked forward to reading more of it.

And there were few that seem more adamant in the notion that hope and humor can carry us far, carry us well, for as long as we survive.

You are, you were, a strong reminder that persistence, and Hope, and Humor, make for better days and longer lives, along with, I'm pretty sure, your faith and the support of your family.

You will be missed by a legion of folks who relied on you for support in so many ways.

As you know, I will miss you too, sweetness. I will miss you more than you can imagine.

Take care, Glenna,

Joe

Comments

  • phrannie51
    phrannie51 Member Posts: 4,716
    #2
    What a lovely tribute, Joe...
    makes me feel like I knew her, also.

    p
  • Tim6003
    Tim6003 Member Posts: 1,514 Member
    #3
    phrannie51 said:

    What a lovely tribute, Joe...
    makes me feel like I knew her, also.

    p

    Nicely done Joe ...
    very nicely done. :)

    Sorry for your loss.

    Tim
  • KareGiver
    KareGiver Member Posts: 301 Member
    #4
    Tim6003 said:

    Nicely done Joe ...
    very nicely done. :)

    Sorry for your loss.

    Tim

    Thank you
    For sharing. Glenna will be missed...
  • Kent Cass
    Kent Cass Member Posts: 1,898 Member
    #5
    KareGiver said:

    Thank you
    For sharing. Glenna will be missed...

    Joe
    Well spoken, my friend.

    kcass
  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    #6
    Bonds...
    A lot of us here, new and old timers have developed special bonds... It's so very hard to lose one of our own. Some of us are close, even though we've never met in person, a lot of us have talked on the phone, email, FaceBook....we are connected.

    I hate the feeling of loss, it takes a piece of me away each time I lose someone so close. Especially the bond we have with healing and recovery, and then losing that contact.

    I remember the times talking to Glenna of the birds playing outside her windows on snowy mornings. Of her dogs that she loved so much..her grandchildren, her husband....

    I'll miss those conversations.

    Best,
    John
  • ratface
    ratface Member Posts: 1,337 Member
    #7
    Skiffin16 said:

    Bonds...
    A lot of us here, new and old timers have developed special bonds... It's so very hard to lose one of our own. Some of us are close, even though we've never met in person, a lot of us have talked on the phone, email, FaceBook....we are connected.

    I hate the feeling of loss, it takes a piece of me away each time I lose someone so close. Especially the bond we have with healing and recovery, and then losing that contact.

    I remember the times talking to Glenna of the birds playing outside her windows on snowy mornings. Of her dogs that she loved so much..her grandchildren, her husband....

    I'll miss those conversations.

    Best,
    John

    Beautifully done
    Almost like a Eulogy of sorts. Moving and very personal. Thank-you for taking the time to write it.
  • Pam M
    Pam M Member Posts: 2,196
    #8
    Well Put
    Glenna's passing brings home the notion that dying because of cancer does not mean you've failed. Most of us know that Glenna has succeeded in may ways,love of family and others and enjoyment of life just a couple of examples.

    If it is war, we know that Glenna fought valiantly, and won a great number of battles, small and large. We also know that she helped many others fight and come out victorious in their own campaigns, and boosted morale whenever she appeared.

    Thank you, Glenna.

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