Good Morning World! We’ve been having a nice garden rain these past few days with occasional thunderstorms. It’s certainly been nice as it has cooled down the temperature. I was a bit concerned as we all slept in late and the birds were not active. They are now, it’s nice to hear their songs. We even had a pair of cardinals come visit hanging out on the stair railing for a little bit of time. The squirrels with their ever growing population have yet to come out. I even saw a black snake (finally) in an old French drain I’ve yet to dig up this week. When I first came to the South I was confused by why I’d see black snakes hanging from trees. An elderly man explained it was a belief since he could remember that killing and hanging a black snake by its tail would bring rain. All I could say was that some customs are odder than others. If I stop to think about it, my family has some odd customs as well. Although finding, killing and hanging a black snake is definitely not one of them.
Did I share with you that we had met up with BH’s niece the other week? We had a grand time and since we were up in the mountains, BH took me to the VA cemetery up at Black Mountain where my parents cremains are so I could pay my respects. Always curious, since I went down with their priest to help him when Mom was buried. The priest had MS and wasn’t too steady on his feet and it was raining. The guy present at the time said the grave had already been blessed when Dad was put in the ground and was a bit upset when I told him I was going down. Apparently family doesn’t go down to watch and be present when cremains are put in the ground. I have been a few times since Mom got planted as my family likes to call it and always wondered if they dug her up when the new stone came in. So I asked the guy who was there, hadn’t had a chance before since we only went up on weekends. Nope, both by parents are right below the stone. So now I know and I know how to respectfully walk between the flat markers.
In the United States, this weekend is Memorial Day Weekend. A time we remember the fallen service people. You can read about it here if you’re interested VA.gov | Veterans Affairs Mom always lit a candle on Memorial Day and I have carried on the tradition. I also plan on playing this song I just found the other day by BH on FB https://youtu.be/zLw9FZu1QeI?si=p_voRa3IrHSSYsvG. I played this one https://youtu.be/kjGnvst6AmA?si=7NEUO1ZqM027njNH since it came out back in the early '70’s. Dad had taken me to pick up some men returning from Vietnam as was his habit until the protestors got pretty nasty with them, either late '60’s, early '70’s. Something I’ve never forgotten, obviously effecting my way of thinking.
Please, if you’re in the USA, do not thank a Vet for their service this weekend. Veteran’s Day is appropriate as other days can be if you see someone who has a cover (hat) on proclaiming themselves to be a Vet. But Memorial Day is for the fallen, not the living. When my Program Manager thanked me for my service at the big Family and Children Service meeting, I was bumfuzzled and asked a friend whose father passed away from Agent Orange if I was dead. She assured me I was not, thank goodness. Mandated meetings after working all night were difficult. Of course I had to know why the PM would disrespect the family members of those in the room who had suffered the loss of a service person. The PM said it was all over the Internet. I told her FB was wrong and gave her a lesson on the holiday.
I know a lot of Americans don’t go to the cemeteries to respect their fallen family members. For us, it’s an hour or so drive and I don’t do crowds. Went up one time when Mom was still walking on top of the grass and it was extremely difficult with all the noise from the hundred people and the guns, not to mention the blinding sunlight. My photophobia was really bad back then and of course I was wearing ball caps to help shield my eyes. I’ve since gone to wide brimmed hats thanks to members here. But when the anthem and Taps (https://youtu.be/WChTqYlDjtI?si=VhSoZaovXBYs2ez9) are played at a cemetery, I still remove my “cover”. No longer in uniform, I don’t salute but do stand at attention without thinking. I do cross my heart as is the custom for civilians.
Realizing other countries may not be making a big deal about their service people, thank you for letting me ramble. When Dad had his stone come in, we took Mom up to see it. There was a young mother with two young children at the new gravesite whose husband/father was KIA over during Desert Storm I think it was, their grief was overwhelming to Mom and BH. Since I hadn’t regain my affect (No Emotions whatsoever) I wasn’t affected by it. Mom of course hugged her and cried with her. I’ve never forgotten that short moment in time.
According to AI there’s a few countries who do have special days set aside and I hope everyone takes a brief minute when their country acknowledges the sacrifice of the fallen as well as their families. It’s important. For those in the U.S.A., take that one minute at 1500 hrs aka 3:00 pm tomorrow and be silent at least. Good time to practice some relaxation breathing and mindfulness. I promise what ever’s on the grill or on your plate won’t get cold or burn in a minute. For our Vets who have lost family in arms, remember where you are now, practice your relaxation breathing and know it’s okay to have survived when others have not. I firmly believe there’s a dang good reason for you still being around, perhaps to pass it forward, share your experience or knowledge, be there for someone else.
Now on to our welcomes!
@Winchestergirl starts us off out in California. Claire shares she’s on the watch and wait list since last Summer. A small aneurysm was found in the petrous area on the right side of her brain. She had a CTA looking at a different issue in her neck. In January, she had another CTA of her brain and two more aneurysms were found in different areas. All are small enough to be monitored yearly by her neurosurgeon. Claire also shares she’s originally from England but has lived in the United States most of her life and she’s been an audiologist for 34 years! I wonder if she’s been to the Winchester Mystery House! Sorry couldn’t help it due to her user name it was the first thing that came up and then of course the famous Winchester rifles.
@JNE is in Missouri. Jennifer had two brain aneurysms found in the past six years. She’s been treated with both coiling and clipping. She’s grateful that God allowed her to see her grandchildren grow up.. What a wonderful gift to have been given!
@Hazzeleyez is also in California and was treated with a flow diverter in April this year. Brittany shares she has a medical background which I’m pretty sure would help with the medical speak used by surgeons. Brittany is on the ball and has started a new topic here Headaches post flow diverter please help her out folks!
@paperlady is in the Midwest area of the USA. Suzanne shares that she had an MRI for vertigo and a 5mm aneurysm was found. It sounds like she’s been given the option of having it coiled. Apparently the doctor thinks it’s congenital and there’s a 1% chance of rupture. She’s wondering what to do, which means Suzanne needs to start a new topic!
@Tessamarie926 is in Texas and just found out that she has two aneurysms. Tessa was hospitalized in January when she found out about the first one. She’s had her angiogram on May 22 and discovered there is another on the same artery. Tessa joined so she could connect with others that have been diagnosed with an aneurysm and find out how we’ve coped with them. She’s also wondering what treatment plans have found to have value and every day lifestyle changes. She’s wanting a positive outlet and communicating as well as connecting with others. You’ve found the right place in my very biased opinion as I think our members are excellent at supporting others!
@Charlene-69 is in South Carolina. Jerri had a ruptured brain aneurysm in January 2025 and was in NSICU for 5 weeks. Jerri is currently on headache and nausea medication. Jerri shares they’ve got one child and is a volunteer fire fighter. I think that’s awesome being a volunteer fire fighter. Many folks in cities don’t realize the importance of the volunteers in the rural communities.
That’s the line up for this week. Interestingly we didn’t leave the States to go across the pond or across the Pacific. For our new members, please do start a new topic under the General or Support tabs simple by clicking the + Add New Topic box, filling out the parameters asked and let us know more about you and what you would like us to share. Remember we cannot give medical advice but we can share our experiences and knowledge. Try to stay within the last 6 months on topic dates. You’ll be able to tell by the first post date. If it just as a month and day, good to go. If it has a month and year check to see if it’s recently active by looking at the last post. If it’s an old one, I will let you know and close it, no worries. If you run into troubles navigating the site, please reach out to me @Moltroub or the wonderful group @ModSupport who volunteer for Ben’s Friends and moderate all those support groups as well as ours. Remember we are all in different time zones and all volunteers so be patient for us to get back to you.
For the members who’ve helped others this week, you’re the best! We can’t be a support group if we don’t step up, even a simple word of encouragement helps others feel not so alone in their journey. I can see we get folks reading but not replying, please reply if your one that does that.
Remember to breathe deep and slow aka relaxation breathing, box breathing, etc. There’s so many choice now it amazes me! Take time to be aware of what’s around you aka smell the roses. Be kind to others and most of all have a great week! Almost forgot to mention hydrate and eat a proper diet! Until next time, have a wonderful week!