Raise your glass...
 

I sit in front of my computer tonight in kinda of a somber mood. I have a glass of coke and brandy infront of me and I raise to mothers who learn the pain of losing one of their children.
I know many of the audience share in drinks tonight..and tonight I want to toast...so I raise my glass. I want to know...tonight as you drink to what to you raise your glass? Let it be somber, let it be happy...but tonight lets us all dedicated our intoxication to something.

To what do you raise your glass?

My parents, who should be having a damn good time vacationing in Vietnam. They deserve every single seconds of it. I do my part by keeping the house clean and feed my brother.

I'll drink to them!

Reminds me, I don't have to work in the morning... where is my wine?

When I pour my wine I will raise my glass to my friend who died in a rush of despair two days before Valentine's Day, and I will raise my glass again to his kind father who regrets forever not saying "I love you," regrets not holding his hand as he saw his son breathe his last breath. And, to continue on a positive note, I will raise my glass to the strength his family showed in the months since. They are an amazing family, who have certainly grown in strength in a way that is truly admirable.

I wish my neighbor all the best. (Actually now just my parents neighbor.)

Her husband was just diagnosed with cancer of the liver and pancreas this week. They started chemo within a day because the cancer was so extensive. He's in a coma now. She has a 10 yr old son who was at school before they decided to start the chemo that day. He never got to talk to his Dad before he was unconscious.

Keep Dave in your thoughts. Let's hope it isn't his time to go just yet.

raeanna, that is pretty bad. What exactly caused the coma? Was it due to the treatment? I guess what I'm wondering is if there is a good chance for him to wake up to see his son.

Now I feel bad for not talking to my brothers in a long time. I'd really regret it if something happened and I never could see them again.

to everyone who ever died for a lost cause- and for everyone who ever died for no good reason because of the inertia of an uncarring god-
for my father, who probably would have liked a little more fanfare
for my wifes mother, who deserved better
and finaly, for dave- we never thought you would make thirty, but you werent supposed to die that way- see you in hell you sonofabitch........

This may seem selfish after reading all of the posts before me, but I would like to raise my glass to myself and my best friend. We both are going through a divorce oddly at the same time and desperately need each others support. Although we are not losing or have not lost a spouse or loved one to illness or accident, the pain of going through this is hard to deal with. Our situations are entirely different, but our goals are the same...to become well rounded happy ppl for ourselves as well as our kids. I want to say I'm sorry for your pain and I raise my glass to you...

I raise my glass to a good friend of mine who lost her husband suddenly one night about three weeks ago to a heart attack. He was a young (42), vibrant man who left a wonderful wife and two young daughters. I went to his funeral and wept...remembered dumb stuff like when he lept into the pool fully clothed to rescue my four year old who had fell off a floatie....all the time holding a can of beer in his hand and not spilling a drop!

It was her birthday yesterday, and she posted on our home forum around 11pm, saying she was having a coffee and a port and was about to raise her glass to her husband.

Cheers, Steven....we miss you, babe.

I raise my glass to a good friend, a coworker, whose aunt was hospitalized with cancer a few days ago. The dark cloud of loss has taken the place of a once happy smile, and I hope that everything works out well for both of them in the end. It makes me sad to see my friends so sad.

My thoughts are also with the children, parents, and teachers who perished in that despicable attack on an Ossetia school. They were only there to learn, but were murdered by agents of ignorance...

I raise my glass once again to my neighbor's family. He passed away this past Sat.

The only consolation is that he didn't have any pain at all until about 1 1/2 weeks ago. Now he's gone. With the cancer as bad as he had it he would never have been able to get rid of it and even then his liver and pancreas would have been damaged so badly that he'd have still been in pain. This way was quick and not nearly as painful. Even so it's a sad loss.

I raise my glass to this one life that I have. I choose to embrace this life for it is mine. It is the only life that I have so I accept it. I choose it. I choose to work at changing those things about it that I do not like. I choose to accept those things that I cannot change (I'd like a full head of hair for example :D). I choose this life for it is mine.

Live happily because more often than not it's a choice.

You have only a finite number of days on this earth. Choose wisely.

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And Nancy gosh darn ya....I'm still waiting on you or your twin or your clone. :thumbsup: That would be a good choice for me.... :)

I raise my glass to all my friends who've saved my life from spiraling into miserable depression over the last month. I love them dearly and they make my life not just worth living, but a real joy.

I raise my glass to my first and only child, Lorin. He was born prematurely just over 11 yrs. ago. He was born on my birthday and died on his due date 2 and a half months later. He lived his entire life in the NICU and was never able to come home. He had an extremely rare disorder and it is likely that we can never have children naturaly but instead will adopt if possible.

The pain has lessened but will never disappear. It often pops into my head that our lives would be so different if he had lived, we'd now have an eleven yr. old beautiful prepubescent boy running our lives instead of it just being us after nearly 16 yrs. (we're both 33). It almost hurts physically to think of that possible alternate existance.

Yes, I raise my glass often, but tonight it is with love, sadness, longing and remembrence....

Ali

I raise my glass to my cousin who is heading back to Afghanistan Wednesday after a two week home visit. He'll be completing a 12 month assignment and will hopefully get through this unscathed.

HERE HERE CUZ!

I raise my glass to those men and women out there who are or were part of the US military. Thank you for having my back, You guys are one of the greatest assets this country has.

I raise my glass in honor of family. To my first family I was born into and to my new family that just added a new member, my first child ... who pick me up, make me smile, make me strong, and support me in a way that I do not deserve.