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

soccerfreaks
soccerfreaks Member Posts: 2,788 Member
in In Loving Memory #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

  • 3Mana
    3Mana Member Posts: 811
    #2
    I miss her too
    Joe, I too was off to a 1st birthday party yesterday and had such a good time. When I came home last nite and checked my Facebook, Glenna's daughter had posted that she had died. I started to cry because even though we never met, we corresponded on here & on Facebook and felt like I knew her forever. She helped me so much when my husband passed away 2 years ago. It's funny how none of us have met but yet we feel so close and so sad when someone passes away. You are all fighters & I am a survivor, not of cancer, but of having lost the love of my life too soon.
    I also enjoy your postings and I'm sure so many other people do too. You are an inspiration to so many people because you too are a "fighter". Never give up!
    "Carole"
  • 3Mana
    3Mana Member Posts: 811
    #3
    Thought people would respond
    Guess I'm disappointed cause no one has responded to you but me. I still think about Glenna and miss corresponding with her so much. Like I said I've never met her, but she helped me deal with the loss of my husband. Like you Soccer Freak, I also have felt close to you since I've been reading your posts since 2010 when my husband was diagnosed. I'm so happy to see that you are a "fighter". Hope you beat this terrible disease.
    "Carole"
  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    #4
    Nice Tribute Joe...
    Glenna is/was a part of Shelley and my life as well...

    We became close over the years, along with Roz, Dawn, Patty and her sister. Both here on CSN and FaceBook, along with many emails, text messages and phone calls...

    Talking of pets, family and vacations we would like to have together.

    It was very hard to lose her, another one of the absolute best people that I have met...and someone that shared by warped or as we called it Abi-Normal Humor, LOL.

    I'm sorry that I didn't see your post sooner....

    One thing that I promised myself from our time spent together recently was to explore more of these forums.

    This is the first that I've been on this particular forum.

    It's hard for me to deal with loss, I so much like to keep loved ones in my memory and not let them go...something that I struggle with.

    Take care my friend,
    John
  • soccerfreaks
    soccerfreaks Member Posts: 2,788 Member
    #5
    3Mana said:

    Thought people would respond
    Guess I'm disappointed cause no one has responded to you but me. I still think about Glenna and miss corresponding with her so much. Like I said I've never met her, but she helped me deal with the loss of my husband. Like you Soccer Freak, I also have felt close to you since I've been reading your posts since 2010 when my husband was diagnosed. I'm so happy to see that you are a "fighter". Hope you beat this terrible disease.
    "Carole"

    Glenna
    Carole,

    Be assured that many have celebrated her passing into her Lord's arms elsewhere, both within these boards and in other places, such as FaceBook. I probably selected a rather macabre title for my post, even though it remains appropriate to me, as the song is the singer's lament about the passing of his dearest friend.

    Glenna was saluted in both the Head/Neck Cancer and Lung Cancer boards here, rest assured, Carole. She was well-loved, well-respected, and greatly missed by many.

    Take care, Carole,

    Joe
  • soccerfreaks
    soccerfreaks Member Posts: 2,788 Member
    #6
    Skiffin16 said:

    Nice Tribute Joe...
    Glenna is/was a part of Shelley and my life as well...

    We became close over the years, along with Roz, Dawn, Patty and her sister. Both here on CSN and FaceBook, along with many emails, text messages and phone calls...

    Talking of pets, family and vacations we would like to have together.

    It was very hard to lose her, another one of the absolute best people that I have met...and someone that shared by warped or as we called it Abi-Normal Humor, LOL.

    I'm sorry that I didn't see your post sooner....

    One thing that I promised myself from our time spent together recently was to explore more of these forums.

    This is the first that I've been on this particular forum.

    It's hard for me to deal with loss, I so much like to keep loved ones in my memory and not let them go...something that I struggle with.

    Take care my friend,
    John

    Glenna
    Thank you for the kind words, John. As stated above, and as you know, she is greatly missed.

    In the meantime, it is your ability to deal with loss at least to some degree, that makes you so vital to the boards. Many leave tragically, others leave joyously to go back to their lives, but few stick around for a long time, for whatever reason. That you do, and that you provide comfort and information to folks, is something rather rare.

    Me, I have left for periods of time in the past when people were passing away seemingly left and right, so I understand the problem with dealing with loss. Sadly, it comes with the territory, as you and I have come to learn. It is, as I like to remind people teasingly, not the best place to establish long-term relationships :).

    Take care,

    Joe
  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    #7
    soccerfreaks said:

    Glenna
    Thank you for the kind words, John. As stated above, and as you know, she is greatly missed.

    In the meantime, it is your ability to deal with loss at least to some degree, that makes you so vital to the boards. Many leave tragically, others leave joyously to go back to their lives, but few stick around for a long time, for whatever reason. That you do, and that you provide comfort and information to folks, is something rather rare.

    Me, I have left for periods of time in the past when people were passing away seemingly left and right, so I understand the problem with dealing with loss. Sadly, it comes with the territory, as you and I have come to learn. It is, as I like to remind people teasingly, not the best place to establish long-term relationships :).

    Take care,

    Joe

    Long-Term Relationships...
    LOL, Joe, I think you might have a little Abi-Normal Humor in you as well.. The long-term relationship comment is something that Glenna would have definitely laughed at.

    Best to you buddy,
    JG

Discussion Boards