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This message was self-deleted by its author (CountAllVotes) on Sun May 15, 2022, 12:21 PM. When the original post in a discussion thread is self-deleted, the entire discussion thread is automatically locked so new replies cannot be posted.
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I am so saddened to hear of your beloved's transition.
Please take good care of yourself. Grieving is hard work, emotionally, psychologically, and physically. Be gentle with yourself & know that the stages of grief are not linear.
Healing vibes on the way to you.
strength in his memory. Rest in peace.
He was a shelter cat that seemed to be a Flame Point Siamese. He lived to be about 10 years old.
Ripples was named that because he looked like he had reddish ripples on him.
He loved Ripples and all cats in fact. That was one of the things that we shared, our love for cats. We had many over the years, his favorite being a white cat that was found the same day our other white cat had died too soon of feline epilepsy.
The day before he died I took him in a picture of her. He saw the picture and was able to say "kitty". My god, that got me good.
I went back again the next day and took him a little TY Beanie Babies white cat. He sure liked that little kitty too.
Kitty. Oh yes.
I'm sure there are kitties aplenty wherever he now is. 
Especially all your old cats who went before. Hugs to you in this harsh time!
the stories you share always comfort you and bring you peace.
With my sympathy for you in dealing with your grief of losing your dear Irishman.
May your loving memories bring you comfort and peace.
Let us know if we can help.
(((((((Hugs)))))))
he will be whole and healthy. Mine comes often and we sometimes go house hunting at the ocean. That’s my favorite.
Mine was Irish too. I’ll have him go round and introduce himself. He’s been there five years this month so he knows the layout.
Now you concentrate on taking care of you.
Rest assured you did everything for him that you could. Love is such a wonderful thing but it hurts so bad. I hope you find some peace with your kitties. I know mine are good companionship. We used to say don’t let the changes get you down
He was lucky to have been loved by you.
Living over half one's life together is a blessing.
We were together ever since that day.
We were married some 7 years later in Carson City, Nevada at one of those silly chapels for $45.00.
After that we went to Harrah's and quickly downed several stiff screwdrivers.
There was one of those beds at the motel we were staying at. You put a quarter in it and the whole bed began to vibrate.
I recall saying, "How in the hell does one sleep in one of these?".
So that was our wedding night.
There was a Grateful Dead concert at Boreal Ridge Ski Resort on Aug. 24, 1985. We went to that show and he was as proud as a peacock having me at his side. We had just gotten married and he told a man that walked by that was eyeing my tits (ha!) how happy we were.
The man said to him, "You lucky bastard!".
It was not one of the Grateful Dead's best shows, but here it is from archive.org:
https://archive.org/details/gd1985-08-24.nak100.holtz.jaz.99010.flac16
My late husband was 20 years older than I am and no one thought it would work.
He had many tales to tell from Ireland, including the citing/sound and wail of the banshee when their neighbor, the late Mrs. O'Sulllivan died at the age of 114 years as her procession passed by. He ran to catch the banshee but failed. He spoke of this incident for the rest of his life so I guess it made an impression on him. He was a boy of 12 years old at that time that had to drop out of school to work the farm as his father died when he was only a year old leaving behind a widow with eight children to care for and twins on the way.
Thanks again friends! Thank you! 
sympathies and condolences!
You were blessed to have him for almost half a century, relish all the wonderful memories... He is at peace now.
May he Rest In Peace.
I will raise a pint of Guiness in honor of your little Irishman. 
I hope he has found peace.
and may you be blessed with friends and great self-care until you are reunited. 
You did a wonderful job of caring for him and seeing him through his passing. ❤️
May I offer my own moment of silence for your beloved father?
admiration for your courage.
You and your beloved are in my thoughts and prayers today..
May you both find peace in his passing.
i have a theory that all our smiles are eventually paid for in tears. try to remember those smiles as you wipe away the tears.
and yes, it is a cruel, cruel way to go. a little bit at a time.
We both had ours.
I am Irish-American myself and I grew up surrounded by the Irish people.
We had many challenges over the years but we stuck it out best we could.
He cared for me when I almost died in 2009.
I cared for him for many many years as the dementia began a number of years ago.
It was a very difficult road to walk.
They wanted me to put him away in a care facility. I refused. I told him that I would do all I can for him until I cannot do any more.
I kept my promise. He was with me up until the end.
Till death do us part indeed.
I kept my promise as did he.
I have not informed what is left of my own family. They are fans of TFG and I know what I would hear. It would be, "Well that's your problem. How much money do you have anyway?". My husband had no possessions, never did from Day #1. I am being left an impoverished widow as I cannot collect his Social Security as my SSDI (I have MS and have been on SSDI since 1996) is more than he received. I'm sure my TFG family would wallow in joy knowing this. I have no intention of telling any of them that he is gone as I wrote to them several months ago re: the situation and received no reply.
What a shallow life to be seen in those we thought we knew.
I am so very disappointed in many of my "friends" yet overwhelmed by the kindness that others have showered me with.
One day at a time as they say ...
One long long day it has been.
It must have been instinct as I've had this available to me for 25 years now but never took it as I am a state retiree. I guess COVID made me do it, I don't know. I have excellent benefits but my pension is $100 a month, that's it. 
I have an appt. to see an attorney that specializes in estates and matters like what I've been up against at the end of May.
Seems my tracks are well covered as there is no estate as it now stands.
As for the undesirable relatives, they won't be getting a thing.
Their behavior is unacceptable.
I knew this already anyway as my mother and father's death told me all I needed to know about these "loving" relatives. ha.
Fortunately, I pre-arranged cremations years ago as well so that expensive is not an added worry.
I must have been thinking right at some point but right now, I am pretty out of it.
I still have my cats.
They give me something to live for that I know loves me. 
so many people just dont know what to say, or have some grief of their own that has them in a bag. some just toss out promises, and others are just tongue tied.
i used to be a hospice volunteer, and i found a good icebreaker is- tell me a story about them.
i'm nothing but irish myself, i'll tell ya a half hour story at the drop of a hat. it was always a bit of work to hold the floor open for others. but folks would tell me amazing stories, and i always loved hearing them.
here's to the stories we leave behind.
Wall Street is their GOD and they've been busy worshiping their GOD. 
Their GOD has been pissing on 'em bad lately.
Fuck 'em if you know what I mean.
Dementia is horrible but as you said, it doesn't steal the soul.
That is how I as a Catholic believe.
The soul never dies.
It lives on forever and ever.
My sincere condolences. May he rest in peace!
My sweetheart and I made it to 40 years. He’s been gone since March of 2011. I miss him as much now as I ever have. His picture is on the mantle and every evening I lift my glass and wish him a happy happy hour. Sometimes I even tell him about my day. It gets easier over time.
Hugs from a distance,
Mme. D.
I hope you can find strength and peace at this very difficult time.
When my Mom passed recently, I found this poem, left by someone at her memorial, a comfort. I hope you do too:
Death Is Nothing At All
by Henry Scott-Holland
Death is nothing at all.
It does not count.
I have only slipped away into the next room.
Nothing has happened.
Everything remains exactly as it was.
I am I, and you are you,
and the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged.
Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.
Call me by the old familiar name.
Speak of me in the easy way which you always used.
Put no difference into your tone.
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes that we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without an effort, without the ghost of a shadow upon it.
Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same as it ever was.
There is absolute and unbroken continuity.
What is this death but a negligible accident?
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am but waiting for you, for an interval,
somewhere very near,
just round the corner.
All is well.
Nothing is hurt; nothing is lost.
One brief moment and all will be as it was before.
How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!
Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/death-is-nothing-at-all-by-henry-scott-holland
I do know a bit of Gaelic, not a lot but some.
Thanks again!
We are never adequately prepared for the enormity of lost loves. Be gentle with yourself and give it all the time you need.
be at rest and happiness...
When my father died I was a wreck for months as he too went out the hard way.
I never got over it really and now this.
Thank you for your kind words.
