🤔 ... I wonder if Loraine has taken time to come & read these sweet sentiments of how missed & appreciated John was here & still is really. 

I remember my Mom,  also a widow & missing my Dad horribly saying to me thru her dementia one day that she was the only one left in the group of friends they had developed over the years. She seemed so lonely when she said it too.  

As a kid, starting with elementary school, there had been a classmate lost every 2nd or 3rd year from one tradegy or another. One was my cousin. He had crossed behind a school bus on a snowy day & as snow curled around in the wind from the bus, he ran behind &  he was hit by his school teacher & was killed. The teacher never saw him.  On a field trip, I watched in horror as my friend & seat mate ran in front of the bus & in front of a car & was hit. Then backed over by the confused elderly driver, likely wondering what caused the noise he heard, then again driving forward.  I was watching in horror as it happened right in front of me.   My friend died about 10 days later. It's kind of no wonder I tend to worry about safety more then I should. 

As we get older cancer becomes more of a common issue & we loose people we love from one thing or another, I do tend to  understand my Mom's words that day in her moment of clarity.

Loss never gets easier.  I think I have a pretty good understanding of life & death & I can even understand how Johns wife is feeling & will feel for the next several years & onward.  When my hubby died, it impacted my world severely in many ways,  including financially.  After the bit of life insurance was gone, I'm still grateful we had it on him & him alone.   My health has kept me from working outside our home & Gov't,  at least back then didn't take childcare seriously esp. when looking after children for a working people in a non-business rated home. 

As widows, we can only hope Gov't does better in the years to come.  Stay at home Moms or working moms, single moms & dad's too,  we  all work extra hard to make ends meet.  Anyone young enough reading this forum, if you are able to work to provide a better retirement for yourselves,  then please, do so if you are able. Even a little life insurance is worth the bother if you can spare it.  Maybe a few less coffees a week.  Plan for the days we never want to think about about of plan for as well.  

Loss of a loved one is the hardest thing you can go through in life! ❤️