How is everybody doing?

[JonathanFive]

Long time no speak :-).   I'm still grieving.  It still hurts.   It is still the worst thing ever.  But, I'm also ok, alive, working, still doing a phd.  

I drift by the board time to time, but I find that sometimes it is easier just to live  and breathe, and let life be life, and death be death.

I hope you are all well.

Kind regards,

Jonathan

[Gail 8588]

Good to hear from you Jonathan.  Glad you are still working on your PhD.  Those kinds of efforts can sometimes get derailed with such a terrible loss.

For me, at 7.5 years, the struggles of daily life have sort of taken the lead in my existence.  My grief  is still here, but various physical ailments creep up needing attention, my concern for my son and grandchildren as they make their way through the new world of divorce gives me new worries, home repairs and insurance issues demand my time and resources. 

Life is life, it keeps rolling along and we are sort of forced to attend to it. 

Keep breathing, keep working, and I hope you can enjoy some of your PhD process.  It is a very special time of life. 

I'll  keep you in my thoughts and prayers as you go through this first holiday season. 

[LMR]

10 hours ago, JonathanFive said:

Long time no speak :-).   I'm still grieving.  It still hurts.   It is still the worst thing ever.  But, I'm also ok, alive, working, still doing a phd.  

I drift by the board time to time, but I find that sometimes it is easier just to live  and breathe, and let life be life, and death be death.

I hope you are all well.

Kind regards,

Jonathan

Hi Jonathan, pleased to hear that you are coping after a fashion. It is still early and there will be ups and downs but I'm glad you have kept up your phd. 

 

 

[KayC]

I'm also glad you're going for your phd, no easy task in your first year of grief!  I applaud you for your efforts!

[RichS]

On 9/23/2024 at 1:34 AM, Gail 8588 said:

Life is life, it keeps rolling along and we are sort of forced to attend to it.

Well said, Gail. Every day has its own challenges. They keep knocking on our door and we can't ignore them because they won't go away.

[Gail 8588]

Our hurricane season keeps rolling along.  We have another storm, Hurricane Milton, crossing the gulf headed toward Florida. 

It's  not coming to my house this time, but this is exhausting.  I have reached out to 2 people in St. Petersburg Fl that they can evacuate to my house with their pets. 

I fear for my lake cabin in the  Ocala National Forest as it may be in the path of the storm. Too early to know right now. 

I can't  imagine how all these storm losses in the southeast are going to impact homeowners insurance in the future. NC is such a mess from Helene, it is heartbreaking.   Milton may be another Category 4 storm. We don't have the topography of NC, so impacts here won't  look like those, but this is exhausting. 

 

[KayC]

It 's horrible, Gail. I can barely look at the devastation, my heart goes out to everyone involved.  🙏🙏🙏

[RichS]

Once again, our prayers are with you, Gail. After this storm season, homeowner's insurance for the folks in Florida may be as expensive as their mortgages....................

[Gail 8588]

Really, Tallahassee, where I am, is going to be fine through Hurricane Milton.  Yes, there is always a chance of spin off tornados on the edges of these storms. But overall Tallahassee should come through this okay. 

Also this is a very fast moving storm. So it will be in Florida Wednesday and gone by the end of Thursday.  

So I'm  not really worried for my house this time. 

My thoughts are with the folks south of Orlando.  Milton has strengthened unbelievably quickly.  It is very small and is spinning very fast. The eye is only 10 miles wide, but spinning 150 mph at 10:00 am Monday.  The area of the Gulf the storm will be in on Tuesday is supposed to be the area for rapid intensification.  I can't  imagine.

Before landfall it should weaken but expand greatly in size.  This will be one for the record books.

[KayC]

No words, only prayers.