There aren’t enough words to thank you all so much for your prayers, thoughts, and emails at the loss of my son Chuck. Losing Jim 1 1/2 years ago threw me for a loop and it has been so hard finding my way without him. We were married for 36 wonderful years and he was my world. When Jim passed away, Chuck my oldest son moved in part-time to be with me. He worked out of state but came home about once a month for a few days, so he had moved in to help me with things I needed around the house.
He was such a loving bother to his younger brother and older sister and adored his two children, Jordy and Karsen. Having him here part-time after Jim passed away helped me learn how to cope. He called me almost every day and tried his best to take care of all of his family. He was such a thoughtful and loving person. He got a lung infection and was gone so fast that it has been hard for us to understand. I am devastated and my heart is shattered into a million pieces again. Our hearts are broken and he is such a tragic loss for our entire family.
Thank you all again for so much comfort during this terrible loss. Losing Jim and Chuck so close together is almost impossible to bear. I am so grateful for you all and my blog. That has been the only thing keeping me sane. Some of you I have met in person, but I feel like I know all of you and you are such a very special group of ladies. Through our blogs and social media, we all share our lives, our homes, and our families. We cheer each other on and always have each other’s backs. When one is hurting, we all hurt with them.
All my love, Marty
Many hugs and prayers going your way.
Marty, I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your son. My heart is breaking for you. I’m praying that God will bring you comfort and peace. Hugs and blessings to you.
How blessed you are to have had such a caring son. Prayers continue for your peace and healing.
I’m so sorry for your loss Marty. I can’t imagine losing my son and my husband at all much less so close together. Thinking of you, Kathy
Dear Marty,
I am at loss for words, I would love to be there with you and hold your hand…
My heart is saddened by the thought of what you are going through…again….
Keeping you in my thoughts, sending you a virtual hug all the way from France.
Hélène
Sending you all of my love, Marty. I cannot even imagine the pain you must be feeling.
Marty,
I am so sorry for your loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
I am praying for you and your family! Hugs to you Marty!
I have been reading your blog for a while but this is the first time I am commenting on it….please accept my deepest condolences on the loss of your husband and now your son….prayers sent up for you
Marty, I have no words, only tears and prayers for you. I pray God will give you the strength needed to walk through this trial.
Rachelle
I am so very sorry to ready this. I don’t read your blog every day but got on here today. I can’t imagine the pain you are feeling. My heart goes out to you. Thoughts and prayers for you and your family.
Marty I am so sorry for the loss of your son Chuck. When you lost your husband Jim it was such a shock, now to lose your son, so heart breaking. Prayers today for healing of your heart and hugs to you. I am so sorry for your pain. We truly care.
I was here today for the first time, admiring your ingenuity and your home; and finally to this page. I am truly
sorry for your loss. It is heartbreaking. Asking God to give you strength and peace through his presence. 🙏
I am so sorry for your losses. It’s horrible! I think of you often and I am praying for strength for you and your family, and for your grandchildren. I hope you will be a great support for them, and they for you.
I am so very sorry for the loss of your son, and coming so close to the loss of your husband; it’s heartbreaking and I can’t imagine the depth of your pain. My heart goes out to you. Keeping you and your family in my prayers.
Marty, I am shocked and so sorry you lost your son. The tragedy of losing your husband and son is unfathomable. I pray your love for them and memories help you cope. Thank God you had that extra time with him after your husband passed. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
I am so sorry to read of your loss of your son. Losing first your husband and now Chuck is a pain no one should bear. Hold on tight to your family, and with God, family, friends and your beautiful memories, you will be carried through. Lifting my prayers for you and your family….Bless you…
I read this post in shock – I cannot imagine the pain you are feeling. I am so sorry to hear of this, Marty. We have never met, and yet you seem so familiar and friendly to me. I will keep you in my prayers. Please take care of yourself.
I am so very sorry for your loss, there just does not seem to be any words for the loss of a child. Prayers for you and your family.
Dear Marty,
You have my deepest condolences on the loss of your son. Losing a child is devastating – I lost one of my sons 6 years ago in March. Please be gentle with yourself – do what you can, when you can, and let the rest go. All you can do is take it day by day and often only moment by moment.
I’ve always been a quote collector – words that speak to me. Following are some I’ve collected since losing my son:
“Life is a tragic mystery. We are pierced and driven by laws we only half understand, we find that the lesson we learn again and again is that of accepting heroic helplessness.”
– Florida Scott-Maxwell, American writer & psychologist (1884 – 1979)
“To those who understand, no explanation is necessary; to those who don’t understand, no explanation is sufficient.”
“Grief, bereavement, the personal loss of a dear loved one is complicated. There are no words, no consolation, no condolence. Healing is a scaled process that shifts randomly, up and down a continuum, without any sense of progress, and without any conclusion. Grief, like enduring love, is permanent. Every once in a while someone says or does something that is helpful.”
“Reflecting on the loss of children, Dr. Gordon Livingston once told The Washington Post: “The lesson, if there is a lesson to be learned from something like that, is that we endure what we must. I don’t find anything more profound than that. Most of the lessons that people imagine bereaved parents learn are really lost on most bereaved parents: This idea that somehow you achieve some sort of ‘closure’, which is a word that is just hated by parents who have lost children, because there really is none to life’s really profound losses. And then people say, ‘You’re so strong. You got through this.’ And the answer to that is, ‘What choice do you have?’”
“Only those who have endured the unique hell of losing a child can acknowledge, much like after 9/11, that the ground has irreparably shifted underfoot, and now you’re left to figure out how to live in the world without them. We weep with our brethren, seek to make sense out of the senseless, and try to reconcile the black hole in our hearts by believing that death cannot sever the ties of love.”
“The death of a child conveys with it a grief in a category all its own — deep, wide, long and abiding.”
“But we have no choice and so we go on.”
Keeping you in my thoughts and prayers.
Oh Marty,
How heartbreaking for you. Can’t say I understand why things happen as they do….for often they make no sense. In my own family, my brother in law, and Mother (Lou of a heart attack in his 40’s/my Mom of cancer) within a month of each other; our Dad, and youngest sister died (Dad of cancer/my sister of a gran mal seizure) within a month of each other nine years later, and a sister in law died (in a car accident) in her late twenties Mother’s day week with her son’s third birthday that same week. I know the pain, the “whys,” and the questions you must be going through….that’s okay; our God understands how you’re feeling. It’s okay to be angry…to question the wisdom in what he’s allowed. He doesn’t expect us to understand, but to trust Him. I promise you, He is ever faithful. I love the verse in his word that says he’s the “lifter of my head” for he’s done that so many times for me. You will get through this…be patient with yourself…cry when you need to, and cling to him for he is the only true anchor in this life. I pray he might hold you close to his heart until yours can smile again.
I’m so very very sorry for your loss.
I was shocked when I ran across this post looking
for something else on your blog. My heart just
BROKE for you! Nobody says life is fair, we just
get stronger – and you are one strong cookie and
I am admiring you for all your strength. My deepest
prayers and sympathy goes out to you dear lady.
May God keep you and your family in his loving care.