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Thank you to vera, bettie, desdemona , icandothis, and lizbeth for your kind words and support and prayers. I am so grateful for your posts. They brought a flood of tears but also a lot of comfort. Take care of yourselves. See you in the fall.
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Hey Carole –
I am glad to hear that you are happier, and enjoying your spring out in the country. I know my husband and I have hit some really low points in our relationship and managed to find our way back to happiness. I wish the same for you and Danny.
I am dealing with the loss of my father and looking forward to my summer in the bush to have time to heal and do what feels normal for me. Time will help us heal from gambling as well as it recedes further into the past.
Wish you well…
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hello everyone –
A sad update, my Dad passed away April 24. It was hard to see him so ill, and I will miss him so much. I know I am fortunate to have had such a great Dad and to have him in my life for so long. I am also grateful that we have such a large family that is so supportive of one another.
Heading out to the bush in 2 days tie for another summer of work. It will be good to get back to a normal routine, wish you all a gamble free summer and continued growth on your journeys of recovery.
Peace Out,
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hi all –
Just checking in. I have been busy getting very domestic, trying new recipes and keeping the house cleaner than ever. Exercising when I can, although some days it is only snow shovelling. Snowing again today but I have a pot of stew cooking on the stove.
Hubby is working a lot, sometimes 7 days a week so I’m doing what I can to support him with domestic chores.

My Dad has been in acute care for about 3 weeks now.
He is still falling, very restless and disorientated. Fluid on lungs and lungs full of lesions and a kidney stone on the move. Calling my Mom frequently as she seems to need the emotional support. Went to city one weekend and saw Dad and had my son and DIL and grandkids here one weekend.

Received a big tax refund cheque today. If it stops snowing I’ll take it to the bank in Jasper rather than head for Edmonton where all the casinos are. Maybe posting my plan online will give me the motivation to stick to it instead of slipping.

Losing weight and feeling good, just waiting for this endless winter to stop.

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Hey (( Carole )) – Your granddaughter sounds like a sweetie – my granddaughter, now 5 has asked for a hockey stick for her next birthday. My grandson, just turned 1, cries every time Charles Hamelin falls down. They are coming for a visit next weekend and I can’t wait.
I sent an email to Bettie to forward my email address to you.
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Hi Carole
I’m planning to come to the city on the 14 th of March.
Can we get together – I tried the phone # and email I had for you but neither works anymore. I will be in the city about noon – what area are you living in – my email and phone # haven’t changed.
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Dear Cat –
I was so happy to see you have posted a March page.
I always celebrate St. Patrick’s Day – it was my first smoke free day 26 years ago. After years of trying to quit I finally did it – taught me to never stop trying.
A month without gambling is a fine thing indeed, I’m looking forward to hearing from more of the community on this page.
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Hi ((Liz )) – Thanks for your post on my thread – always so good to hear from you. I think my life is going on much the same as before but I am viewing it differently and feeling better. I just finished reading a book called You Can Heal Your Life – it is helping me get to the root causes of why I gambled, and teaching me a healthier way to view things mentally.
I have started exercising almost every day and started eating healthier too. And it does help my moods for sure.
Good luck with your move and settling into your new home – it is exciting to explore a new area.
I hope you get the appointment as executor and can finally get the estate settled. One less thing to deal with.
I really admire the way you have coped through the illness and loss of your husband. Good for you for staying in recovery and staying positive. Your strength has been an inspiration for me. I hope you have a great gamble free day.
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Well, my temporary job ended Tuesday as I was expecting. So many things have happened to my husband and I in the last 5 years that were not of our choosing that I’m getting rather good at rolling with the punches. I got on the phone right away and got a week of work lined up for April and I have a fulltime job starting in May so things are looking pretty good.

I can now get out and exercise every day, weather permitting and hope to have some out of town visitors that have never seen our ” new ” house.

Home renovations passed some sort of tipping point and now it looks like a home instead of a construction zone.

I’m feeling really good about life, not tempted to go back to gambling as it wouldn’t make me feel good about myself. And reading from the Daily Reflections helps me to stay focused and calm.
Reading the posts here helps me to stay positive and thanks to everyone who posts, through their good days and not so good days.
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Hi Cat –
So good to see you posting again and that you are well. Retirement is a huge change for sure. I hope you can redesign your life in ways that are satisfying, and hopefully even fun. I love your commitment to staying positive. Have a wonderful day of recovery and know that we value your presence here.
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Hi Vera –
So good to hear from you !! How is it going for you ?
My Dad was finally placed in a care facility in January and within 2 weeks they notified Mom that he will need to go to another facility. He wandered outside from that place and into other patients rooms at night, so it was not the right place for him but more secure facilities are filled and so he is on the waiting list again. The facility will keep him until a new place is found. This one was only 5 minute from my mother’s house so we hoped it would be the answer. Mom fell a few days ago at home alone, only bruised but a little shaken up and so stressed out about Dad and the impending second move. You don’t know how short of beds the health system is until you have a loved one who needs one. Or how expensive they are. Nothing to be done but wait and see.
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Thanks to Charles, Desdemona, p and Vera for your kind posts. I apologize for not being on this site more often, I am busy with work and taxes and stuff. But I often think of the good people I have met here and how much your support has helped me. This winter has been a challenging one in terms of family health concerns and job insecurity, but no one gets through life without some challenges.
Haven’t gambled since last November, staying far away from the casinos which were the only places I gambled.
I’m so glad there are none near my home.
Take care people and take it ODAAT.
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Hey Carole –
I just read the story of your stem cell donation – what a selfless and courageous thing to do. Hope you are healing well and that the recipient is doing well too. I had no idea of everything a person has to do to donate and I’m so in awe that you would go thru all this to help someone. Good for you. And good on you for the weight loss, it’s something I struggle with now and I know it isn’t easy but every day is a new day and we must just keep trying. Look at all the positive things you have done for yourself and others. I hope to get to the city in early March, will call you when I get a date nailed down. Stay well and keep in touch with us…your support means a lot to me.
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Hi (( Carole ))
Good to hear from you – I do still have your number and would like to get together when I get to the city next time – it sounds like we have a lot to get caught up on, for sure. Stay well and let’s try to keep in touch. Last time I went to the city I did not gamble, so far gamble free in 2014. One day at a time…
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Hi All –
I’m back to civilisation – Trying to get used to the new GTsite, it will take some time, I’m sure.
Thanks to Larry, Vera and Bettie for your posts.
I had 5 weeks off work with my husband being off work as well. That was scary as our jobs both finished the same day in Oct. and the future was a big question mark. We got busy with the home renovations, did some more painting, and put new floors down in the kitchen and dining room, and they do look nice, it is starting to look like a home at last.
My husband and I were offered new jobs and started them on the same day two weeks ago. Mine involves 13.5 hours of work 4 days a week, so not a lot of spare time to catch up on everyone else’s threads, sorry. The job is temporary and could end at any time, but I am fine with that.
I still shudder when I think of gambling and all I lost and could have lost, but I am moving on.
Enjoying life and trying not to let the cold weather get me down, it is so hard to be stuck indoors.
My Dad is getting close to being placed in a facility where he can be cared for as my Mom is getting so exhausted.
We had a scare a couple of weeks ago when he wandered outside and got lost 2 houses away. When he tried to get into the neighbors house they brought him home – it was 2 AM and thank God the weather was mild then, and he ended up where someone knew him. Mom had some locks changed so he cannot escape again.
I am going to a Christmas party close to town this weekend which will involve a stay at a nice 5 star resort, looking forward to that, meeting some new people from my husband’s new job, and just escaping from the daily chores.
Looking forward to Christmas at my sister’s house and a visit with the grandkids at Christmas time.
Setting some personal goals, trying for more patience and positivity. So good to see so many of the old gang still here and welcome to all the newer people on the site. I will post some more when time permits….

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