A Week And A Day?.I HAVE Come A Long Way

byragdoll69

617 followers

Updated 9 years ago

Hello and welcome to all my new friends at WA!

Wow, I would never have guessed in just a week and a day I made over a hundred new friends! That's really an accomplishment for me because for the last few years I have kept more to myself than usual. If you read my profile before, I spoke a lot about my two feline roommates, Emmy and Iggy. No, I have not always been a lonely cat lady, but right now they happen to mean a lot to me.

I decided today that I would like to share a little bit more about me and why I am here. Without going into great detail, here goes...

Besides Emmy and Iggy, I have a beautiful daughter, Jill, who lives with her wonderful and handsome husband, Andy, and their 3 cats and 2 dogs, in the Florida Keys. Jill teaches high school, and Andy works for the county as an officer in a water patrol unit. He has a very interesting job, similar to the Coast Guard doing emergency dives, rescue missions, and at times disaster recovery.

I also have a very handsome son, Eric, who very recently married my lovely new daughter-in-law, Alexa, who is expecting my grandson! ;) YAY! Eric is a petroleum engineer and a recent commercial pilot graduate who is looking for work! ;( Alexa is a financial planner. They are living in Tampa at this time.

Sadly, I do not live near my children. I remain where my husband and I were living prior to his death three years ago this past Christmas. My three sisters and some other family still live somewhat near me. My parents are deceased.

My loving husband of 22 years left for work the morning after we all opened Christmas presents at our home, and after telling us all how much he loved us he took his own life.

His suicide tore all of us apart. If you know nothing about suicide, have not been close to that experience like none of us had, then I cannot even begin to describe the utter devastation, guilt, and emptiness which follows for those left behind. Those are only three emotions. There were so many more. Those emotions stuck with me, and I carried them along on a lonely rollercoaster ride for almost three years following his death.

I made it. I am here. My children are fine now. That is about all that matters at the present!

Now I am here at WA to become productive again. Do something! Animate! Activate! Move! Use that brain again! Exercise the mind! Use it before you lose it! You're not getting any younger...you're no spring chicken...hold on a minute! I didn't say those last two things. Those darn cats did, or it's my kids maybe thinking that! Me? I'm as young as I think!

Oh, I forgot to mention that my career was nursing for 20+ years and taking care of my dad following his heart attack and stroke at age 86. My sisters and I all assisted in the care of our sweet mother who lived with Alzheimer's for 17 years prior to her death at the great age of 94! Needless to say though, I want nothing more to do with nursing. My husband was also a physician. Bah, humbug! ;) Just kidding...I am being silly because I can and sometimes I just like to! Silliness can be just good for the soul! I think that's why I ❤️ my cats!

Thank you all for listening! I wish all of you the best of luck here at WA and want to thank you for your friendship and warm welcome!
Rita

Faith, believing in oneself, and always finding a reason to laugh are good things to remember when times are rough

            LAUGH EVEN WHEN YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO