Have you missed me???? I have missed all of you!!!

laughs_a_lot said:

Hope
Hope they can get to the bottom of the coughing issue. Sorry about you close friend and hope you can feel at peace with his passing.

chenheart said:

Oh Kindred Spirits!!!! You
Oh Kindred Spirits!!!! You are without a doubt the BEST group of women assembled anywhere! Ok, I would have liked it better if we were a book group, a political group, a gang of rock and roll groupies, a bunch of dieters, quilters, writers... LOL Being that we met here of all places, let me just say you soothe my soul and lift my spirits~ the journey with all of its potholes and uncertain terrain is so much easier to navigate with all of you by my side. Thank you for everything...I hope I give you even a smidgen of what you continue to give me.

Hugs,
Chen♥

Dawne.Hope said:

[[[chenheart]]]
I'm so sorry! It's tough anytime to lose a friend ... but the way in which you lost Jim is especially tough. Praying for you all, especially on Sunday. xoxo

Prayers too for your healing ... whatever is going on with that cough ... may it be kicked to the curb.

Keep us posted, dear chenheart. We love you and you're invaluable to all of us.

Blessings, love, comfort, strength, and healing to you,
dh

missrenee said:

Oh, Chen, my heart goes out to you
Reggie and your dear friend, Jim and his family. I am sorry you're still struggling with that cough and hope that you have a great relationship with your new oncologist. Also, how sad and unbelievable about your friend, Jim. He sounds like an incredible guy and I am sure many tears have been shed for him. I think your ritual of "singing him home" is beautiful. My thoughts and prayers go out to you all and thank you for taking the time to let us know. We all care so much about you, dearheart.

Hugs, Renee

CypressCynthia said:

I always, always miss you
I always, always miss you when you are not here. You are truly a Kindred to me.

I am so sorry to hear of all that you have been through. Jim sounds as if he was a special, special friend and I know that you and Reggie will miss him. And I am so sorry that you had to go through the trauma of CPR, etc. That is tough and it has happened to me before too, so I know and I hate that you had to go through that on top of everything else. A church member keeled over on Easter Sunday and he died also--despite CPR. The survival rate of bystander CPR is low ~4% (increasing to ~30% if a defibrillator is present).

Now, I am putting on my NP hat (even if it is an neonatal NP one ;-) and ordering you to get some R&R. Maybe a nice massage or movie? I know you have to see the oncologist first,but then do something for Chen! Promise me.

And I promise to be there with you on Monday, holding your hand and bringing the lattes. And please feel free to pm me about anything.

chenheart said:

Oh this Buffy news makes me
Oh this Buffy news makes me so happy! LOL Siobhan will be beaming when I tell her, too! It is just so enjoyable, and the characters so, for lack of a better word ADDICTIVE!

I have R&R in my life plan, honestly! Tonight actually brought a much overused word,which I have never wanted to use...the word is closure. We made a poster board for Jim with lots of the pix we had taken of him working alongside Reggie on the Tribe's plank canoe. We decorated it with shamrocks, American flags,NY Yankee logos, etc. Reggie also made a tribute area in our back yard~ Jim's fishing pole, a tall can of Coors, his camo-cap and an abalone shell with sage burning in it. I made Irish "Peasant Food". Shepherd's Pie, cabbage cooked with an entire pound of bacon, onions, apples and simmered in a broth made of chicken stock, applesauce, and Pinot Grigio! YUMMY! We had bread and I made raspberry/coconut/pecan bars for dessert. Oh yeah~ appetizers were shimp cocktails, and I made a mess of roasted red pepper hummus and othr assorted goodies. Beer, wine water and soda rounded out the menu. We had a great group of friends assembled, and we all raised a glass to Jim at 6PM~ while on the phone with Jim's 2 kids who were raising a glass in NY.

I see the new oncologist tomorrow...my heart is full of hope for a "good mix" and that things are as I have always hoped they would be!

Thanks for the scolding~ I know I need it...Reggie is giving me The Look...so, it's off to bed with me!

Love you all!
Chen♥