Live life to the fullest.

Let me start this thread off with saying: I am not looking for sympathy or a pity party. I do appreciate the well wishes I have received via private message and the public forum. If anything pray for the comfort of my mother.

The purpose of this post is to remind my scrapping brothers and sisters of the preciousness and shortness of life. You never know when your time is up.

I kind of told this story on one of Admiral Aluminum's threads and thought it would be best to start a new thread rather than high jack his thread.

I have (had) a typical family for the sixties and seventy's. Six kids , mother and father. My brothers Gail and Stan came home from Vietnam (Navy) when I was 8 years old. I was the baby of the family. My mother worried herself sick the whole time they were there.

Two months after they came home (1974ish???) from Vietnam Gail died of an aneurism while riding his motorcycle. Very difficult time for the family. I was just a kid.

Fast forward to 2007 my dad past away. I had no feelings and never shed a tear. Neither did my mother. Long story, not for this post. Six months later my brother Stan died of Amyloidosis, a rare disease that attacks all your organs. Something to do with proteins in your body. One of the members here knew Stan (ibscrappin) and let me say EVERYONE who met Stan loved him. he was very charismatic and his death was very hard on me. When He was in his forties and I was just out of high school we would chase chicks together. Another story. At this point my poor mother has buried two of her four sons.

Now it's 2015, and my third brother (Bruce) has died of brain cancer. (Third son my mother has buried). My sister ( Char) is at Mayo Clinic literally on her last breath. She has some rare lung disease. The doctors at Mayo are trying to figure out how they can cram enough oxygen into a plane or a van to get her to Fargo to say good bye to her mother. Char will be the 4th child my poor mother has had to say goodbye to.

Here's another life lesson: Bruce and Char have been on the outs with their mother for quite some time. Once they new their days were numbered they made amends with there mother. Funny how that works. Staring down death makes you think twice about your relationships with family.



So hear I sit typing on my iPad telling you fine folks of SMF how 4 of my 6 siblings have died. Just me and my oldest sister left. Kind of therapeutic for me I guess.

What I want to leave you with from this post is treat your family right and live everyday as if it was your last. I'm going to do more fishing and other things I enjoy and less work. Not to say you don't have to pay the bills, but take some time off for yourself. Back a few years ago when I was in my prime I made a hell of a lot of money and that money did not make me happy. Meeting and marrying my wife has meant much more to me than money.

I'm soon to be a grandpa from an unwed step-daughter. Neither I nor my wife was happy about the news of the pregnancy. However we are going to welcome this new life with open arms. Friends and family is where it's at.

Again, I'm not looking for a pity party or sympathy. Just want to remind members of SMF and lurkers that life is short. Don't take it for granted.

Sorry to hear and my thoughts are with you and your family. Interesting you mentioned fishing as my brother and son went with me today. Only the third time I've been but I really enjoy spending time with them.

Pjost, Thank you for reminding us of the important things in life. Your story should touch many and have an impact on their life/perspective. Your mother must be one tough soul to endure her challenges. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. You have definitely help me put my priorities in perspective. Thank you and bless you.

I just posted on another thread that sometimes you just have to stop and smell the roses. That's loosely what I meant as of now I have lost a dad, stepdad, my mom and older brother. I'm the last one in my immediate family, except for my youngest daughter who claims she's keeping her last name (if-when) she gets married.

My older brother kept working way after retirement time (his 25) cause his kids were very needy. He was still working when he had a heart attack and died. Except for a little fishing he really never got to enjoy life. (32 total years on the job) and what did it get him???

That's the real $hits about being on dialysis, I can't even drink a few beers to take the edge off on threads like this.

I write this not in any attempt to take away from what pjost is going through but perhaps a story of perseverance in the face of tragedy.

My great-grandparents on my dad's side immigrated from Ukraine (they were ethnic Germans living in Russia) to the southeast corner of the Dakota Territory prairie in 1873. They already had some kids and think more were born before 1886 but that March they had 6 kids of which the oldest was about 19, a son that had my GGF's name. Some epidemic came through and in the space of 3 weeks, 4 of the kids died, including the oldest. My GGF's hair turned white from the stress and someone in our extended family has some old photos from the funerals. Very sad times. But my GG parents had a deep faith (along with their community) that God will provide (I'm sure they had questions on why bad things happen to people who believe in a loving and merciful God) and they went on living. I think they went on to have 4 more kids even though my GGM was probably pushing 40, including my GGF who as the youngest son ended up with the family farm. My GGF died 48 years after his 4 kids did. I'm sure he struggled with my he lived to be an old man and his kids didn't but those answers aren't found in the human realm unfortunately (my belief).

So, also in my belief system a person should get (and keep) things right with their family and the people they come in contact with (people may think forgiveness should be easy but its not, its hard gut-wrenching work) and keep thing right with God because we never know walking out that door if its going to be our last. All I know is that I know I have an eternal love that is always there willing to take me back no matter how I've screwed things up only if I'm willing to ask for forgiveness and truly believe it...

Originally Posted by pjost

I'm soon to be a grandpa from an unwed step-daughter. Neither I nor my wife was happy about the news of the pregnancy. However we are going to welcome this new life with open arms. Friends and family is where it's at.

Well, as noted above, here's our new addition to the world. Call PJ grandpa PJ now lol. Some lives leave this world and new lives come into the world. Guess it happens every day.



Little Emma. Look at all that curly black hair. She came in at 7lbs. 13oz.

Mom (my step daughter) and baby are doing well. Grandma (my wife) is bouncing off the walls with excitement.

I'm not quite sure what to make of it yet. I never had kids of my own, so this is going to be a new adventure for me. Did I mention mom and baby are going to be living with me and the wife?

Even tho I have no blood relation to this little girl, Somehow I feel some kind of connection. I'm hoping to be the best grandpa ever.