New Year

[teny]

Hellow my friends I wish for every one a year with less pain.I wanted you to know some of our traditions.New years eve in every town and every island young boys and girls dresed in traditional costumes < each island and village has its own>are singing the carrols holding a small decorated boatthat is the decoration that most homes in the villages have Boats in all diferend shape and size deorated with candles or lights.Famillys gather around the fire place they writenotes of negative feelings and whatever went wrong in the year and burn the notes in the fire.New years day in every family they have a pie that contains a coin .The head of the family cats the pieces and naming each for every member of the family and one for the unknown guest one for prosperity at work and one forJesus.Who ever gets the coin is the lucky one for the coming year.I dont like this tradition any more cause Yiany got the coin 2006 the year he died.Pomegranates are the good luck symbol so we use to brake one in the frond door of the house for good luck and prosperity.I wish I had some hope this year but it is so hard I miss the years we have spend together I miss his arms around me and the hugs and kisses for each year we were together.Love from far away TENY

[shhh65]

Teny,

I pray for a year of less pain for you and all here. What beautiful customs your country celebrates. I'm sorry that they hold bad memories for you now. Teny, those who are further along in the process tell us that it will become easier and I have to believe it is true. When you have been married to someone since you were so young (Harry & I were just 18 & 19) I guess you can't expect that you could feel joy again soon. I pray that you, I and the others will experience true joy again some day.

[Rosemary T]

Teny,

Thank you so much for sharing the customs and traditions of your country with us. I love the idea of the good luck coin even though it is not special to you now. Did you ever think that maybe something really bad might have happened to your loved one and that God might have spared him this hardship by taking him home to heaven early?

I hope I don't upset you by saying that. I am just wondering. I found out the other day that all the people in my husband's family got Altzheimers between the ages of 65 and 70 and it was a very long, painful, slow death for them and their families. Now I am wondering if maybe God was doing my husband a favor by taking him home with him early (he was almost 67 when he died of a massive heart attack). I know that my husband was so full of life and independent. The worst thing that could happen to him would be for him to not be able to take care of himself or be productive. I, of course, would have loved to have him with me even if he were sick and suffering. But that would be very selfish of me and he used to tell me that this was the worst thing he could imagine. So maybe this terrible thing that happened to me is actually something "good" for my dear departed Lou.

I hope you find peace in the new year and can forgive God for taking your Yanni away from you. I am trying to do the same!