Today started off in an unexpected way. First the President of the company comes in and annouces that one of our well liked coworkers had a death in the family last night. Their family member commited sucicde by stepping in front of a train. She had a long history of mental illness and they had been taken care of this person until a few days ago. Then about an hour later he comes back in to tell us that another coworker who has been in the company for a very long time who recently was told that he had cancer was sent home from the hospital and informed that he had two days to two weeks to live. I just want to go and crawl in a hole for a while.
Sorry to hear about all of your bad news. Last month we received news that one of my older cousins had died of cancer, one of my wife’s older cousins had died of heart problems, and my niece’s, husband’s grandfather had all died on the same day.
I am feeling with you.
This year seems to be the year of departures - our neighbor is in hospital and we expect her to go any time now.
Sad days!
Man, do I EVER know how you feel. You just have to remind yourself that life is the most valuable commodity we own. I had a friend who had terminal cancer and weeks to live tell me, " Enjoy every moment that you have. To do less than that is to spit in God’s face." I’m not a religious person, but I have to agree.
My father died of cancer 6 years ago. The doctors gave him 6 months and he went in 6 weeks. While I was deeply saddened by his passing, I was glad that he went quickly and relatively painlessly.
My job has had me deal with suicides, homicides, hostage situations, assaults, and other horrors of the human condition. Who can ever understand the level of depression that’s involved in taking one’s own life except that person. I’ll bet that many of them think to themselves that they are making a big mistake just at the point that it’s too late.
After a suicide at work that I had to deal with several years ago, my wife reminded me…
Happiness is a choice.
I can’t tell you what will make you happy, but I will urge you to try.Like your screen name says, yougottawanta.
Good luck
One of the shortcomings of this forum is that we cannot all lean in for a group hug.
When you reach the age that many of us in here have, we have all lost people who were very special to us. While no one can truly understand your particular pain, we all know that you are suffering.
Time will take the edge off the pain, but the empty feeling will be with you forever. Know that you have the empathy of your friends.
The only guarantee in life is death at the end of it.
Every human death diminishes us all, and there is no way to tell the departed how much they are missed. And there is no feeling like the helplessness of watching a loved one slide toward death and knowing there is nothing that can be done to prevent the final plunge.
My sincere condolences to everyone who has experienced such a loss.
A few months ago I had unexpected news of a person I had admired as a friend, but had not thought of in at least half a century. I learned that she had died of cancer in 1994, three decades younger than either of her parents. I still find tears flowing for her, and for my parents, and for others who were close to me and have now marked up on that final call board.
They are gone. They will never be forgotten.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - a time gone, but not forgotten)
I’m sorry to hear it. That’s a tough one. It must be a bad week in general, I found out yesterday that I will need my second back surgery caused by a bad wreck I was in while working as a conductor. We flipped a GP40 over and down a bank one night quite a few years back. Then, our drain backed up due to a clog out near the street, and although the layout survived, it made a huge mess underneath. Maybe I won’t be able to work on it anyway.
I too can feel your loss. I walked in when my dad was in serious trouble with colon cancer and just the look of him, i knew, i talked to the staff and called the family, we all waited but he waited till we had all left before he did. Were there choices he made or didn’t make that would have made a difference, i doubt it. A few years later my sister walks in to find my mother on the floor, she had had a massive stroke and heart attack.
yes there are days that really stink and those kind of days bring out the best in the online community. sure we all gripe about things over the proverbial cracker barrel but when times like these come about we are there to support one another, whether we are railroaders or not whatever race, gender ethnicity, nationality or belief system we are all human and it is the humanity that bonds us
Hi all,
My Mom gave me a medallion for Christmas. On one side it reads “Live for Today”, while on the reverse “The past is history, the future is a mystery and today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present.”
I carry it always, and read it several times a day. Sometimes it is all that gets me through.
Ironically, I should be taking care of her, and here she is taking care of me. My Mom is blind, and 82 years young.
Yes, we are all in our little community here, and I take from this Forum more that advice and information about model railroading.
Thanks.
This is quite the gem and well worth remembering. Thank You Blaine.
I am so sorry to hear of your losses. Death is never easy regardless of whether it is expected or sudden but you and the families of your coworker will always have the blessing of memory. Take care and know that the friends you have here will always be a source of support.
am I the only one who’s noticed that more and more people keep dying in recent months? maybe I’m just paying attention more, but it seems like more people have died in recent months than ever before. The thing is, almost all of it seems to be cancer. Its become almost the norm to hear of another family friend or relative that has cancer, and most of them never recover (with the exception of a young man who is a friend of the family, who survived a cancerous brain tumor recently with little side effects) does anyone have the numbers!? are cancer cases on the rise?? this is really becoming depressing. even I have noticed that my health isnt as great as it was, say, 3 years ago. nothing’s wrong with me, yet. seriously, it seems like death worldwide seems to be on the rise. It’s not just health thats killing people in my area, either. you all may have heard about the 60 tornadoes that touched down in NC this past saturday, killing over 20 people in my area. what on earth is going on here!?
As has been mentioned, the older we get, the more death touches our lives; lifelong friends, family members, relatives of friends, etc. It helps me that I lead a spiritual life with Jesus at the center of it. I know it doesn’t work for everyone, but it sure helps me make it from day to day.
In the past three years I have lost two friends and one relative. I am only 25, but one of my friends was younger than me. He and his mother were killed in a car wreck caused by a drunk driver. Another friend died tragically in a car wreck when she tried to look at her child in the backseat and was struck head on from a semi truck.
My grandmother passed away from complications from two major strokes. She passed away last December 23.
My condolences to you and the other posters who have experienced similar tragedies. I too have noticed quite a few people dying and it seems like it doesn’t get any better at times.
My condolances to those suffering from losses of friends and family members.
I would like for each of you to know you are very welcome to “visit” in Elliots Diner and share personal events while telling about your recent model railroading projects.
When the “diners” are experiencing some of life’s troubles, they find caring friends in the diner. Believers can pray for those in need. I have an HO Chapel Car representing some that actually operated in North America a few decades ago. It is occasionally dispatched to the diner (with photos) so believers can “worship” as they choose.
Please stop in the diner and at least post a “hello”. … Blessings.
I’m sorry but what does this have to do with model railroading?
This is a model railroad website, not a public forum for posting anything you want.
Being slow is the least of the problems of this website, I come here to read about model railroading , not the play by play of you guys’ problems in daily life. Its a good thing there are plenty of other websites that are for model railroading and model railroading only.
That is sad indeed.
May I add this?
Sad is when you look around and friends you knew for years are gone…
Thank you all for your words of encouragement. Last night our co-worker passed away. Please keep his family in prayer. They will need those in the coming weeks and days. Our other co-worker is at work today. She istrying to function between tears.
[:-^]
Hi Jimmy,
I think you missed something here and it is understandable if you haven’t visited here often.
The forums are all MRR related for the most part, but occasionally the title of the thread gives a subtle clue as to what a patron is feeling, this also applies in the diner. We all consider each other friends and here we can discuss anything (and do) We support one another and find support and consolation here.
If you don’t like it, that’s OK, but rather than complaining about it just don’t visit here and save yourself some frustration. On the other hand, we who do frequent here , find it most enjoyable and a great place to spend a little free time. When we are strictly MRR we either start a thread or go to the search section and seek out the information we want.
We hope you understand and decide to stay with us here as you certainly are most welcome by understanding the difference in this Thread’s Title… and also in “Elliott’s Diner”
Johnboy out…for now
What was that rabbit’s name in Bambi that said If you don’t have nothing good to say, don’t say nothing at all?
Yougottawanna, sorry to hear about your coworkers. It’s a strange thing but these things always seem to come in three’s.