WE ARE SORRY for your loss 💛

[SummerOnTheWay1]

THIS GROUP IS OPEN TO ALL GRIEVERS NO MATTER HOW LONG IT HAS BEEN [years,days].

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Grief & Loss Team  🤗

[mc6844]

That's 🙂 nice! 

[SummerOnTheWay1]

📎 [Tuesday 4/14/26]

So you have a birthday soon Joe @JoeJ415665 !!! Getting older does make us "wiser" about life in some cases. It took "retiring" for me to get things set up. Now I can RELAX & enjoy the rest of my time here.

Luv,

Nicole  🤗🤗🤗  (Grief Forum)

[JoeJ415665]

 Glad you can relax now and do good work!!!

Luv,

Joe

[JoeJ415665]

 That birthday thing just slipped out. 

[SummerOnTheWay1]

🪔   You might need to:

(1) Write a NEW will and UPDATE your advance care planning.

(2) Look into a durable power of attorney for legal matters and health care in case you are unable to make your own medical decisions in the future.

(3) Put JOINT property (such as a house or car) in your name.

(4) Consider changes you may need to make to your health insurance as well as to your life, car, and homeowner’s insurance.

(5) Make a list of BILLS you will need to pay in the next few months, for example, your rent or mortgage; utilities such as electricity, water, and phone and internet services; insurance; and state and federal taxes.

*** Try NOT to "stress" and take 1 step at a time!

[JoeJ415665]

 Good advice, as always, Nicole!!

In the past two years I made a new will, executor, power of attorney for both personal and medical situations. I even created my obituary because no one knows my life better than me (sad to say). I'm 78 and will be 79 in 13 days. It's never too early to plan. You can enter the pearly gates worry free and those left behind will thank you.

[SummerOnTheWay1]

📎 [Tuesday 4/14/26]

Lol, don't kick yourself too hard Joe @JoeJ415665 !!!

We all have "seasons" in our journey and like the weather "ours" change.

You will FINISH your book.

Sounds like a "change" just took place for you = getting back to YOUR book.

Yes, please stop by when you can dear friend.

Luv,

Nicole  🤗🤗🤗  (Grief Forum)

[JoeJ415665]

 I'll try to limit the kicking; however, my butt is pretty sore now. 😉

Joe

[SummerOnTheWay1]

📎 [Monday 4/13/26]

Dear Joe @JoeJ415665 , we are totally honored to have you with us.

Keep stopping by to see us.

Luv,

Nicole  🤗🤗🤗  (Grief Forum)

[JoeJ415665]

 Good morning, Nicole,

Thanks for the kind words. I can't remember the last time, if ever, I was considered "honored".

I will stop by from time-to-time. At present I'm kicking myself for being delinquent in completing my first children's book. 0ver 140 pages containing over 21,000 words. Not a toddler's book.

Take care, hear from me soon!!

 Luv,

Joe

[SummerOnTheWay1]

📎  [Monday 4/13/26]

Joe @JoeJ415665 , MC @mc6844 - please keep OUR Michelle @MichelleC103656 in your thoughts. OUR dear friend has just lost her 6-year old granddaughter.  😭

I just cannot understand WHY people CANNOT "slow down" - drive carefully.

My heart goes out to you Michelle.

And you know you have a place to be as needed. Yes, with us.

Luv,

Nicole  🤗🤗🤗  (Grief Forum)

[JoeJ415665]

 Thanks, Nicole for sharing.

I've already had a conversation with the BIG GUY.

Nothing tears at me more than innocence taken so young.

 Joe

[SummerOnTheWay1]

📎   SIGNS from love ones!

(1) Timing: SIGNS often appear when they are most needed, such as on anniversaries, birthdays, or in moments of distress, according to a blogger at O'Connor Mortuary.

(2) Intuition: They are described as giving a sense of peace, love, or comfort, rather than fear.

(3) Directness: They often feel too specific to be coincidences, appearing personal to the relationship you shared.

*** When we get "quiet" (relax, meditate) & "believe" - they will contact us!

[JoeJ415665]

 The night before my mom passed in 1975, my phone (land line) rang at exactly 2am. 

 When I answered there was a conversation taking place on the other end in a language I didn't understand. I hung up and went back to sleep.

 The next day around noon I found my mom still in bed and not breathing. 

 One year to the day the phone rang at 2am. Same conversation on the other end. 

 Then one day in 2010, some 34 years later, my cell phone rang. When I answered there was that same conversation on the other end. I hung up and just sat there for the longest time. Then, it occurred to me that day's date was May 23. My mom's birthday. 

[JoeJ415665]

 When we lose someone we love we must learn not to live without them, but to live with the love they left behind.

[SummerOnTheWay1]

📎  Don’t let ANYONE tell you how to feel.

*** Your grief is YOUR OWN, and no one else can tell you when it’s time to “move on” or “get over it.” Let yourself feel whatever you feel without embarrassment or judgment. It’s okay to be angry, to yell at the heavens, to cry or not to cry. It’s also okay to laugh, to find moments of joy, and to let go when you’re ready.

[JoeJ415665]

 Good advice, Nicole!

There is no clock for grief. Look in the mirror, you're stronger than you think or feel!!

[JoeJ415665]

 If I may, I'd like to add a few words.

My mother passed in 1975, in her sleep and I was the one who found her. It was a heart attack. She was 52.

 My dad was a wreck; I had to do the legwork of setting up the funeral. The circumstances dictated it.

 I was pretty much a wreck myself. However, in the weeks that followed, no one asked me if I was okay, seeing as I was the one who found her and felt her cold neck when I checked her.

 It took a long time for me to get close to normal.

 What I realized later is that I need to be with people I loved and trusted. The person has to have both. I found out that grief in a person is unique and personal. People kept telling me it was time to move on. I'm sure they meant well, however, I found that no one could tell me when to move on. Only I would know when the time was. I found that time when I had peace in my heart. It took a while.

 I miss my mom every day. I cry a tear for her every day. After her passing she contacted me three times. Not again for many years. I don't mean for that to sound eerie or creepy. Just fact.

 Thanks.

[SummerOnTheWay1]

📎  [Friday 3/20/26]

Dear Michelle @MichelleC103656 , I know you MISS HER SO MUCH dear friend!!!  😞

Yes, those "tears" pop up when we THINK/TALK about them.

Know that she is looking down at you RIGHT NOW. Proud of you for "trying" to MOVE FORWARD the best you can.

Some days/nights, all I do is cry.

Other times, the "tears" are NOT there, but I so MISS him SO MUCH.

Thank you SO MUCH for stopping by my friend.

Luv,

Nicole  💛🤗

[MichelleC103656]

You are always such a bright spot in my day. So many of us appreciate everything about you. I just read your message, and now,I am crying happy tears. It is cool and raining here in New York today. It is a good day to feel sad. My sister Debbie and I talk about having days and nights where we just can't stop crying. We miss our parents so much. I always tell her that we were lucky to have them in our lives for such a long time. Other people are not so lucky. It is getting to be one of those days. I try to stop crying and then start again. Easter is in 2 weeks,and holidays were so important to my parents. Birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays make us miss our lost loved ones that much more. Thank you for your kind words and support, Nicole. I am so glad that we made a connection. I just blew my nose and wiped my eyes. I am going to go downstairs and have some coffee and a little snack. Thank you SO MUCH for being so helpful and nice. Talk to you again real soon!  Hugs and Luv to you and Mister!  🤗🐈

[SummerOnTheWay1]

📎  [Friday 3/20/26] Michelle @MichelleC103656 , Mister sends his luv too!!! 📸[*** Here he is all snuggled up for the day].

[MichelleC103656]

He looks so comfy and cozy. What a lucky boy! 🐈😸😻😺

[SummerOnTheWay1]

📎  [Friday 3/20/26] Thanks Michelle @MichelleC103656 and when you can (as usual NO pressure) would luv a picture of your three darlings!!! 😉

[MichelleC103656]

That is so funny. I thought that I had sent you pictures of them. I just took some now. Bristol is a Lynx Point. She was upstairs. Stewie is drinking out of our birdbath. Nova is watching it rain. Stew and Nova are Manx cats. They don't have much of a tail. It is just a little puff of fur.

[SummerOnTheWay1]

📎  [Monday 4/27/26]

Dear Michelle @MichelleC103656 , I know you are dealing with ALOT OF LOSS dear friend but wanted to say - Mister sends his "usual" luv to your TOTALLY ADORABLE threesome (Bristol, Stewie, Nova). NO pressure to stop by, but you are ALWAYS welcome here.

Luv,

Nicole  🤗🤗🤗  (Grief Forum)

---

➡️[*** MICHELLE @MichelleC103656 wrote:

That is so funny. I thought that I had sent you pictures of them. I just took some now. Bristol is a Lynx Point. She was upstairs. Stewie is drinking out of our birdbath. Nova is watching it rain. Stew and Nova are Manx cats. They don't have much of a tail. It is just a little puff of fur. 📸[***3 PICTURES ATTACHED]

---

[MichelleC103656]

Hey Nicole! It is always so nice to hear from you! I have thought of you and Mister so many times over the last few days. The last few months have been so terrible and awful. Some days are okay. I don't think about everything. I try to live a normal life. Other days, I don't want to get out of bed. The loss,grief, and the sadness are all just too much. One death in our family would have been bad enough. Three in a matter of months is too many. It seems unthinkable. It is like a bad dream, a nightmare that I can't wake up from or escape. Friends try to be nice. I appreciate their help and sympathy. I know that it comes from a good place. It is all just a lot to deal with and try to understand. No one understands until it happens to them. Thank you for your kind words. They mean so much. My crew and I send hugs and Luv back to you and Mister. We are trying to get by a little more every day. We take it hour by hour and day by day. It is so hard when you have been used to having someone in your life,and then,they are just gone. I like to think about them all being together somewhere waiting for us. That is what gets me through the day. I want to believe so badly that we all will be together again, somewhere, somehow. Okay,I am making myself cry,again. Thank you for reaching out to me, Nicole. Luv and hugs to you and Mister. 🤗🐈😸🐱😺

[SummerOnTheWay1]

📎  [Tuesday 4/28/26]

IT WAS SO GOOD HEARING FROM YOU!!!

Dear Michelle @MichelleC103656 , it is SO HARD "continuing" on at times.

And YES, we do the "best" we can.

My daughter & Mister are what keeps me "getting up" EACH day.

You are SO BRAVE dear friend & you are "trying" to come to grip with your losses.

I guess there is NO "easy" solution but 1 Step At A Time. Some days/nights, will "convince" us that we are NOT going to "survive" our loss.

But we somehow do.

And yes, I feel we will ALWAYS have those moments of "tears" & should NEVER "feel" guilty. All part of our healing.

Of late, my dreams are FULL of luv ones I lost. ‌😭‌ Then I wake up "drained & sad". But somehow I keep stepping for the luv ones who are STILL HERE with me.

Luv,

Nicole  ‌🤗‌‌🤗‌‌🤗‌  (Grief Team)

---

➡️[*** MICHELLE @MichelleC103656 wrote TUESDAY 4/28/26:

Hey Nicole! It is always so nice to hear from you! I have thought of you and Mister so many times over the last few days. The last few months have been so terrible and awful. Some days are okay. I don't think about everything. I try to live a normal life. Other days, I don't want to get out of bed. The loss,grief, and the sadness are all just too much. One death in our family would have been bad enough. Three in a matter of months is too many. It seems unthinkable. It is like a bad dream, a nightmare that I can't wake up from or escape. Friends try to be nice. I appreciate their help and sympathy. I know that it comes from a good place. It is all just a lot to deal with and try to understand. No one understands until it happens to them. Thank you for your kind words. They mean so much. My crew and I send hugs and Luv back to you and Mister. We are trying to get by a little more every day. We take it hour by hour and day by day. It is so hard when you have been used to having someone in your life,and then,they are just gone. I like to think about them all being together somewhere waiting for us. That is what gets me through the day. I want to believe so badly that we all will be together again, somewhere, somehow. Okay,I am making myself cry,again. Thank you for reaching out to me, Nicole. Luv and hugs to you and Mister. 🤗🐈😸🐱😺

---

[MichelleC103656]

Hey Nicole! I just received your message a little while ago. That happens sometimes. Messages get delayed. I don't know why. You said that I was brave. I don't feel brave. I mostly feel guilty. I feel guilty for things that I didn't do and say. I feel guilty for not helping my parents more. Even though, I was really the only one in the family that was always there to help. I still feel that I could have and should have done more. I feel guilty about our little Brea. It is not fair that she died so young. She had so much more to do. She had a whole lifetime ahead of her. I feel guilty about being so sad and sometimes forgetting that her parents are the real and true victims. It is a vicious cycle that seems to have no end. Jim and I are going to just have a nice quiet Sunday. The last few months I have been trying not to do much of anything on Sundays. My parents always used to rest and relax on Sundays. Mom used to say that it was the only day that they didn't work. Thank you for your support and kind words, Nicole. It means so much to us. Luv and hugs to you and Mister from me and The Crew!🤗🐈🙂😸😻🐱😺

[SummerOnTheWay1]

📎  [Sunday 5/3/26]

Yes those REGRETS dear Michelle @MichelleC103656 !!!

I "struggle" with that myself and finally coming to terms that while I CANNOT change the past - I sure can MAKE SURE I donot "repeat" what I NOW regret.

I guess, to "honor" the luv ones we "lost" is one way of dealing with MISSING THEM EVERY DAY. 👍

You and Jim making Sundays a day of "rest" sounds good to me. 👍

Oh yes, I spent ALOT of time with my Maternal Grandparents who did that. Then Mondays, they would be back to their business RECHARGED. Hard workers. Grandpops died in his sleep after walking home from work one night. Busses were on strike and he refused his son's offer of a ride. He NEVER drove. He was 84 when he died. Mamamae died at 104 in the home they built and moved into when they got married. A spunky & fun lady who lived her life FULL OF PASSION.

My inspiration to do the same. 😉

Mister is all snuggled up in my bed. Yes, Winter returned this morning in the 30's. ⛄️ But thankful NO snow and Spring returns tomorrow.

Oh, found a Honda CRV. Will be back on the road sometime THIS MONTH. 🙃💃

It has been a VERY LONG 7 months of not driving. Lol, between my old lady (car) needing a Head Gasket, then falling on Black Ice (6 weeks in cast, 10 weeks in walking boot) - I "is" ready to hit the road. Will NOT be home much!!! 😅

Being stuck in my Studio Apt really was depressing and had way TOO MUCH time to dwell on my loss.

Then it will be finding seeds for my garden. My therapy!!! 🌻

Luv to Bristol 🐈, Stewie 🐈 and Nova 🐈 from Mister 🐈.

My "Meals on Wheels" lady, Ms. Barbara has been sending him food. They get "donations" at my LOA (local office of aging).

And the LOA van has been taking me once a week to Kroger and to Medical appts. SO GRATEFUL!!!

ALWAYS so good hearing from you my friend.

Luv,

Nicole 🤗💛

---

➡️[*** MICHELLE @MichelleC103656 wrote:

Hey Nicole! I just received your message a little while ago. That happens sometimes. Messages get delayed. I don't know why. You said that I was brave. I don't feel brave. I mostly feel guilty. I feel guilty for things that I didn't do and say. I feel guilty for not helping my parents more. Even though, I was really the only one in the family that was always there to help. I still feel that I could have and should have done more. I feel guilty about our little Brea. It is not fair that she died so young. She had so much more to do. She had a whole lifetime ahead of her. I feel guilty about being so sad and sometimes forgetting that her parents are the real and true victims. It is a vicious cycle that seems to have no end. Jim and I are going to just have a nice quiet Sunday. The last few months I have been trying not to do much of anything on Sundays. My parents always used to rest and relax on Sundays. Mom used to say that it was the only day that they didn't work. Thank you for your support and kind words, Nicole. It means so much to us. Luv and hugs to you and Mister from me and The Crew!🤗🐈🙂😸😻🐱😺

---

[MichelleC103656]

 I am trying to do just that. I have to remember what I did right and what went wrong. And then, don't make the same mistakes. We have been planting flowers and trees to honor our lost loved ones. That was what my parents always did. It hurts to remember them,but then, many times it makes me smile and laugh. I remember something funny or sweet that they said or did. I am trying to make them all proud. That is so sad about your grandfather. My grandparents were the same way. They all lived into their 80s,except for my maternal grandfather. He was killed in a car accident when my Mom was a baby. Yes, Winter has been here this week and last night. We even had a little snow. It used to be that May 1st was the sweet spot that my father and I used to look forward to. It meant no more snow, finally. Some years now, we still get snow into May. And, Winter had already started early. Here is the crazy thing about our weather. Last night, it was 32 and snowing. Tomorrow and Tuesday it is supposed to be sunny and in the 70s. That is great news about the car. Being home and having too much time on your hands can definitely be very depressing. Bristol, Stew,and Nova say Hi to you and Mister. They help so much, especially Bristol. She has always came and sat with me whenever I was sad and crying, ever since she was a kitten. That is wonderful, too, about food for Mister. I had no idea that they provided that. I am going to close for now. I have been upstairs. I have to go see where everyone is and what they are doing. Thank you for everything, Nicole!  It is always a bright spot in my day hearing from you. So much Luv and Hugs to you and Mister! 🤗🐈🤗🙂😸🐱😺😻