OK..throw one more thing at me .see if i care

OK, Pat, what's the latest with you? We haven't heard anything new on this posting...wondering how you are doing, both physically and emotionally. Please share with us. Hugs,

Wow, Pat. You must be stunned. I know when we heard hard news one right after another we became numb. Here's hoping the scans are negative for any cancer.
I will be thinking of you. (((Hugs)))) Julie

Pat... wish I had something more to offer than the power of my hope that all goes as smoothly as possible for you.

Actually, perhaps I do. My experiences as a parent and as one who often thought suicide was on my agenda.

There have been times in my life when I just had to look for the lesson, no matter how unclear or unfair it may have been, there was one... only thing I thought of here was... perhaps you may need to find away of putting yourself first in a way that is often difficult for a parent to do and allow your son to receive the gift that comes from learning from his own struggles... and from that, a greater sense of self reliance.

As for your son, perhaps my brief story will help... I went from wealthy to welfare (for the last of many times) at 45. Found a way to take that on as a challenge... went back to college (last formal education was as a grade 8 drop out) and quickly discovered that to truly find myself, I had to lose everything... I was like a bad country song... lost my money, my girlfriend and yes, my dog and the pickup truck...

I can also honestly tell you that I now look back at this as the best time in my life because, perhaps for the first time in my life, I accepted responsibility for myself and from there grew in to someone I didn't know existed, a person who could look in to the mirror and respect the person he saw looking back at him. This comes from a man who was once delivered to the psych ward by the police to protect him from himself after a lifetime experiencing waves of suicidal thoughts. No, it wasn't easy, quick or painless... but it was above all worth the journey.

Hoping I haven't overstepped myself...

Rick

Oh dear. Pat, I do need to keep a better eye on you. My internet service at home stinks and I'm falling behind on all the news here on the forum.

Someone said, "The best gift is the gift of yourself in the service of another." Pat, you have been that gift for us on so many days when we needed support and advice...we wish to be that gift to you. We can't offer much in the way of advice but our hearts are touched by your recent struggles and you have our prayers, good thoughts and best wishes. Please let us know how things are going and fuss and fret and all the rest; we are hear to listen, to offer comfort, to be here for you in whatever way we can be.

"One's friends are that part of the human race with which one can be human." - George Santayana, 1863-1952

Pat,

So sorry to see this news. If its scar tissue and has been there a while, maybe that's all it still is. I certainly hope so!

Wish there was something we could do. Sometimes when people post news like this I think there is a collective feeling of concern around the world and when I read this post it was a palpable feeling.

I know this has to be getting you down but I hope they are able to sort through this quickly and figure out how to get you better fast.

Then (then again--why wait) you can whack your son upside the head and tell him to get himself in gear and get back out there. The job market is a changed world and has been for a decade or so. Nobody gets to to work for the same company from cradle to grave anymore. There are lots of resources out there for learning how to package and market himself.

Mike