Knocking softly on the back door

This is from Connie from ND. Thought we had the connection problem
licked yesterday, but today the gerbil died or something. Phooey. --
Her brother Jerry

Thank you all for the warm welcome to my peek back in. RCTQ was my
first venture into a cyber community, and you are my oldest and
dearest cyber friends. I will never forget how kind and supportive
you have always been to me in some of my darkest hours.

I see many new and unfamiliar names, so I would like to introduce
myself to them. I am Connie from ND. I live a short distance from
the geographic center of North America. I have been a quilter most of
my life, taught by my grandmas, mostly making them for my home and my
family. RCTQ gave me confidence in my skills and since joining you
all here, I have donated a dozen or more quilts to local fundraisers.

Four years ago, I felt the love and support of this group surround me,
when I asked for a shower of birthday cards for my son, Tyler. He was
a marine, stationed in Hawaii and would be celebrating his golden
birthday far from home. The response was awesome. His bunk was
covered with cards and letters and gifts from women he had never met.
That winter, he completed his final training and the next spring, he
was sent to Afghanistan. Your support went with him, and he never
failed to get a letter or package from someone at every mail call.
Three years ago, in August, Tyler was shot three times while on
patrol. He was hospitalized for 10 days in Germany, then sent back to
Afghanistan with three open wounds in his chest. Five days later, he
had a massive infection, was sent back to Germany, and finally home.
He is rated at 100 % disabled. He has limited lung function, nerve
damage in his right hand, PTSD, and a traumatic brain injury affecting
his memory and emotional balance.

The last two years for me have been pretty traumatic. I lost touch
with you all around then, and I was pretty busy between my job and
helping Tyler get to all of his many medical appointments. About that
time, my new boss went on a campaign to make me quit. Eventually, she
succeeded. About that time, my beloved husband was killed in a
shooting accident. Tyler, who had made significant improvement, went
back to square one. A couple of months after the funeral, my daughter
noticed that I was having trouble walking, and a subsequent checkup
showed that my left leg was becoming paralyzed and I would need
immediate back surgery. The surgery went well, but two weeks later I
ended up with a massive septic infection and found out I was allergic
to almost all antibiotics. I am finally getting better now but I am
left with damaged kidneys and a weakened immune system.

Enough of that! I am sorry I lost track of you all. I have continued
with the baseball group so I have been hearing about you all, but I
have missed your friendship. I have been so depressed and lethargic,
I probably would have never come back, but a note from Dreamweaver
last week sparked an interest for me, and my brother got me hooked up
to converse with you again.

I wanted to let you know that Tyler's life is improving after so many
setbacks. About two years ago, he met a lovely young woman named
Andrea, who has stuck with him and supported him through everything.
They were married last May 24th. He also has a job now, working for
the Minnesota Dept. of Veteran Affairs. He learned about the job from
someone he met while going weekly to the VA. He applied and was
turned down, but he appealed the decision and asked for
reconsideration, because if the VA won't hire a disabled veteran, who
will? He was reconsidered and turned down again, because he was a ND
resident and the job required him to live in Minnesota. He moved to
Moorhead, MN and applied a third time. He finally was accepted for
the job with a year long probationary period. They dropped the
probation after 6 months, and he is doing well. He helps veterans
negotiate the maze of the VA and is now giving motivational talks to
new disabled vets in the system. He has alot of pride in what he is
doing, and the setbacks he used to have weekly are now coming only
monthly, and not as severely.

I have pictures of Tyler and his new wife, Andrea, with Tyler's HUG
which has an honored place in their new home. If someone will email
me privately, I will email them back to you so they can be posted
somewhere where everyone can see them. I usually can't post pictures
myself, because I am still on dial-up, and I usually lose the
connection before I can get a picture posted.

Thanks for the warm welcome, and the M&Ms (I agree with Dreamweaver,
minties are the best!).

Connie from ND

Thank you for this, Connie. What a series of ordeals - when written all
together like this it is hard to see how you came through reasonably
intact. I remember going through the 'awfuls' one by one; but this
makes one realise what the whole is like. It's wonderful news about
Tyler.

Please get your 'gerbil' resurrected or replaced, so that you can be a
'regular' again.
You have been asked about many times - occasionally we have a thread
'has anyone heard from N N N N?' Connie is always included.

Take care of yourself.
..
In message
,
writes
This is from Connie from ND. Thought we had the connection problem
licked yesterday, but today the gerbil died or something. Phooey. --
Her brother Jerry

Thank you all for the warm welcome to my peek back in. RCTQ was my
first venture into a cyber community, and you are my oldest and
dearest cyber friends. I will never forget how kind and supportive
you have always been to me in some of my darkest hours.

I see many new and unfamiliar names, so I would like to introduce
myself to them. I am Connie from ND. I live a short distance from
the geographic center of North America. I have been a quilter most of
my life, taught by my grandmas, mostly making them for my home and my
family. RCTQ gave me confidence in my skills and since joining you
all here, I have donated a dozen or more quilts to local fundraisers.

Four years ago, I felt the love and support of this group surround me,
when I asked for a shower of birthday cards for my son, Tyler. He was
a marine, stationed in Hawaii and would be celebrating his golden
birthday far from home. The response was awesome. His bunk was
covered with cards and letters and gifts from women he had never met.
That winter, he completed his final training and the next spring, he
was sent to Afghanistan. Your support went with him, and he never
failed to get a letter or package from someone at every mail call.
Three years ago, in August, Tyler was shot three times while on
patrol. He was hospitalized for 10 days in Germany, then sent back to
Afghanistan with three open wounds in his chest. Five days later, he
had a massive infection, was sent back to Germany, and finally home.
He is rated at 100 % disabled. He has limited lung function, nerve
damage in his right hand, PTSD, and a traumatic brain injury affecting
his memory and emotional balance.

The last two years for me have been pretty traumatic. I lost touch
with you all around then, and I was pretty busy between my job and
helping Tyler get to all of his many medical appointments. About that
time, my new boss went on a campaign to make me quit. Eventually, she
succeeded. About that time, my beloved husband was killed in a
shooting accident. Tyler, who had made significant improvement, went
back to square one. A couple of months after the funeral, my daughter
noticed that I was having trouble walking, and a subsequent checkup
showed that my left leg was becoming paralyzed and I would need
immediate back surgery. The surgery went well, but two weeks later I
ended up with a massive septic infection and found out I was allergic
to almost all antibiotics. I am finally getting better now but I am
left with damaged kidneys and a weakened immune system.

Enough of that! I am sorry I lost track of you all. I have continued
with the baseball group so I have been hearing about you all, but I
have missed your friendship. I have been so depressed and lethargic,
I probably would have never come back, but a note from Dreamweaver
last week sparked an interest for me, and my brother got me hooked up
to converse with you again.

I wanted to let you know that Tyler's life is improving after so many
setbacks. About two years ago, he met a lovely young woman named
Andrea, who has stuck with him and supported him through everything.
They were married last May 24th. He also has a job now, working for
the Minnesota Dept. of Veteran Affairs. He learned about the job from
someone he met while going weekly to the VA. He applied and was
turned down, but he appealed the decision and asked for
reconsideration, because if the VA won't hire a disabled veteran, who
will? He was reconsidered and turned down again, because he was a ND
resident and the job required him to live in Minnesota. He moved to
Moorhead, MN and applied a third time. He finally was accepted for
the job with a year long probationary period. They dropped the
probation after 6 months, and he is doing well. He helps veterans
negotiate the maze of the VA and is now giving motivational talks to
new disabled vets in the system. He has alot of pride in what he is
doing, and the setbacks he used to have weekly are now coming only
monthly, and not as severely.

I have pictures of Tyler and his new wife, Andrea, with Tyler's HUG
which has an honored place in their new home. If someone will email
me privately, I will email them back to you so they can be posted
somewhere where everyone can see them. I usually can't post pictures
myself, because I am still on dial-up, and I usually lose the
connection before I can get a picture posted.

Thanks for the warm welcome, and the M&Ms (I agree with Dreamweaver,
minties are the best!).

Connie from ND

--
Best Regards
pat on the hill

So good to see you Connie. I'm so glad to hear that Tyler is doing
well -congrats on the new DIL!
You have certainly had more than your share of troubles, and the
stress can't be good for your own health. I wish we could have helped
you through it a bit more.
Roberta in D

On Mon, 8 Sep 2008 20:24:47 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

This is from Connie from ND. Thought we had the connection problem
licked yesterday, but today the gerbil died or something. Phooey. --
Her brother Jerry

Thank you all for the warm welcome to my peek back in. RCTQ was my
first venture into a cyber community, and you are my oldest and
dearest cyber friends. I will never forget how kind and supportive
you have always been to me in some of my darkest hours.

I see many new and unfamiliar names, so I would like to introduce
myself to them. I am Connie from ND. I live a short distance from
the geographic center of North America. I have been a quilter most of
my life, taught by my grandmas, mostly making them for my home and my
family. RCTQ gave me confidence in my skills and since joining you
all here, I have donated a dozen or more quilts to local fundraisers.

Four years ago, I felt the love and support of this group surround me,
when I asked for a shower of birthday cards for my son, Tyler. He was
a marine, stationed in Hawaii and would be celebrating his golden
birthday far from home. The response was awesome. His bunk was
covered with cards and letters and gifts from women he had never met.
That winter, he completed his final training and the next spring, he
was sent to Afghanistan. Your support went with him, and he never
failed to get a letter or package from someone at every mail call.
Three years ago, in August, Tyler was shot three times while on
patrol. He was hospitalized for 10 days in Germany, then sent back to
Afghanistan with three open wounds in his chest. Five days later, he
had a massive infection, was sent back to Germany, and finally home.
He is rated at 100 % disabled. He has limited lung function, nerve
damage in his right hand, PTSD, and a traumatic brain injury affecting
his memory and emotional balance.

The last two years for me have been pretty traumatic. I lost touch
with you all around then, and I was pretty busy between my job and
helping Tyler get to all of his many medical appointments. About that
time, my new boss went on a campaign to make me quit. Eventually, she
succeeded. About that time, my beloved husband was killed in a
shooting accident. Tyler, who had made significant improvement, went
back to square one. A couple of months after the funeral, my daughter
noticed that I was having trouble walking, and a subsequent checkup
showed that my left leg was becoming paralyzed and I would need
immediate back surgery. The surgery went well, but two weeks later I
ended up with a massive septic infection and found out I was allergic
to almost all antibiotics. I am finally getting better now but I am
left with damaged kidneys and a weakened immune system.

Enough of that! I am sorry I lost track of you all. I have continued
with the baseball group so I have been hearing about you all, but I
have missed your friendship. I have been so depressed and lethargic,
I probably would have never come back, but a note from Dreamweaver
last week sparked an interest for me, and my brother got me hooked up
to converse with you again.

I wanted to let you know that Tyler's life is improving after so many
setbacks. About two years ago, he met a lovely young woman named
Andrea, who has stuck with him and supported him through everything.
They were married last May 24th. He also has a job now, working for
the Minnesota Dept. of Veteran Affairs. He learned about the job from
someone he met while going weekly to the VA. He applied and was
turned down, but he appealed the decision and asked for
reconsideration, because if the VA won't hire a disabled veteran, who
will? He was reconsidered and turned down again, because he was a ND
resident and the job required him to live in Minnesota. He moved to
Moorhead, MN and applied a third time. He finally was accepted for
the job with a year long probationary period. They dropped the
probation after 6 months, and he is doing well. He helps veterans
negotiate the maze of the VA and is now giving motivational talks to
new disabled vets in the system. He has alot of pride in what he is
doing, and the setbacks he used to have weekly are now coming only
monthly, and not as severely.

I have pictures of Tyler and his new wife, Andrea, with Tyler's HUG
which has an honored place in their new home. If someone will email
me privately, I will email them back to you so they can be posted
somewhere where everyone can see them. I usually can't post pictures
myself, because I am still on dial-up, and I usually lose the
connection before I can get a picture posted.

Thanks for the warm welcome, and the M&Ms (I agree with Dreamweaver,
minties are the best!).

Connie from ND

Hi, and welcome back, Connie. I can only speak for myself, and feel
fairly certain there are others who echo my thoughts about the trials
of spirit you have experienced. You have been thought of often, and I
appreciate the update.
You have been missed.

Scooch over at the cyber frame, Connie is back after taking a break!

Ginger in CA

On Sep 8, 8:24*pm, wrote:
This is from Connie from ND. Thought we had the connection problem
licked yesterday, but today the gerbil died or something. Phooey. --
Her brother Jerry

Thank you all for the warm welcome to my peek back in. *RCTQ was my
first venture into a cyber community, and you are my oldest and
dearest cyber friends. *I will never forget how kind and supportive
you have always been to me in some of my darkest hours.

I see many new and unfamiliar names, so I would like to introduce
myself to them. *I am Connie from ND. *I live a short distance from
the geographic center of North America. I have been a quilter most of
my life, taught by my grandmas, mostly making them for my home and my
family. *RCTQ gave me confidence in my skills and since joining you
all here, I have donated a dozen or more quilts to local fundraisers.

Four years ago, I felt the love and support of this group surround me,
when I asked for a shower of birthday cards for my son, Tyler. *He was
a marine, stationed in Hawaii and would be celebrating his golden
birthday far from home. *The response was awesome. *His bunk was
covered with cards and letters and gifts from women he had never met.
That winter, he completed his final training and the next spring, he
was sent to Afghanistan. *Your support went with him, and he never
failed to get a letter or package from someone at every mail call.
Three years ago, in August, Tyler was shot three times while on
patrol. *He was hospitalized for 10 days in Germany, then sent back to
Afghanistan with three open wounds in his chest. *Five days later, he
had a massive infection, was sent back to Germany, and finally home.
He is rated at 100 % disabled. *He has limited lung function, nerve
damage in his right hand, PTSD, and a traumatic brain injury affecting
his memory and emotional balance.

The last two years for me have been pretty traumatic. *I lost touch
with you all around then, and I was pretty busy between my job and
helping Tyler get to all of his many medical appointments. *About that
time, my new boss went on a campaign to make me quit. *Eventually, she
succeeded. *About that time, my beloved husband was killed in a
shooting accident. *Tyler, who had made significant improvement, went
back to square one. *A couple of months after the funeral, my daughter
noticed that I was having trouble walking, and a subsequent checkup
showed that my left leg was becoming paralyzed and I would need
immediate back surgery. *The surgery went well, but two weeks later I
ended up with a massive septic infection and found out I was allergic
to almost all antibiotics. *I am finally getting better now but I am
left with damaged kidneys and a weakened immune system.

Enough of that! *I am sorry I lost track of you all. *I have continued
with the baseball group so I have been hearing about you all, but I
have missed your friendship. *I have been so depressed and lethargic,
I probably would have never come back, but a note from Dreamweaver
last week sparked an interest for me, and my brother got me hooked up
to converse with you again.

I wanted to let you know that Tyler's life is improving after so many
setbacks. *About two years ago, he met a lovely young woman named
Andrea, who has stuck with him and supported him through everything.
They were married last May 24th. *He also has a job now, working for
the Minnesota Dept. of Veteran Affairs. *He learned about the job from
someone he met while going weekly to the VA. *He applied and was
turned down, but he appealed the decision and asked for
reconsideration, because if the VA won't hire a disabled veteran, who
will? *He was reconsidered and turned down again, because he was a ND
resident and the job required him to live in Minnesota. *He moved to
Moorhead, MN and applied a third time. *He finally was accepted for
the job with a year long probationary period. *They dropped the
probation after 6 months, and he is doing well. *He helps veterans
negotiate the maze of the VA and is now giving motivational talks to
new disabled vets in the system. *He has alot of pride in what he is
doing, and the setbacks he used to have weekly are now coming only
monthly, and not as severely.

I have pictures of Tyler and his new wife, Andrea, with Tyler's HUG
which has an honored place in their new home. *If someone will email
me privately, I will email them back to you so they can be posted
somewhere where everyone can see them. *I usually can't post pictures
myself, because I am still on dial-up, and I usually lose the
connection before I can get a picture posted.

Thanks for the warm welcome, and the M&Ms (I agree with Dreamweaver,
minties are the best!).

Connie from ND

Welcome back! Great to hear about your son....
I hope you'll continue to join us around the cyber quilt frame.

--
Susan
http://community.webshots.com/user/sbtinkingston
wrote in message
...
This is from Connie from ND. Thought we had the connection problem
licked yesterday, but today the gerbil died or something. Phooey. --
Her brother Jerry

Thank you all for the warm welcome to my peek back in. RCTQ was my
first venture into a cyber community, and you are my oldest and
dearest cyber friends. I will never forget how kind and supportive
you have always been to me in some of my darkest hours.

I see many new and unfamiliar names, so I would like to introduce
myself to them. I am Connie from ND. I live a short distance from
the geographic center of North America. I have been a quilter most of
my life, taught by my grandmas, mostly making them for my home and my
family. RCTQ gave me confidence in my skills and since joining you
all here, I have donated a dozen or more quilts to local fundraisers.

Four years ago, I felt the love and support of this group surround me,
when I asked for a shower of birthday cards for my son, Tyler. He was
a marine, stationed in Hawaii and would be celebrating his golden
birthday far from home. The response was awesome. His bunk was
covered with cards and letters and gifts from women he had never met.
That winter, he completed his final training and the next spring, he
was sent to Afghanistan. Your support went with him, and he never
failed to get a letter or package from someone at every mail call.
Three years ago, in August, Tyler was shot three times while on
patrol. He was hospitalized for 10 days in Germany, then sent back to
Afghanistan with three open wounds in his chest. Five days later, he
had a massive infection, was sent back to Germany, and finally home.
He is rated at 100 % disabled. He has limited lung function, nerve
damage in his right hand, PTSD, and a traumatic brain injury affecting
his memory and emotional balance.

The last two years for me have been pretty traumatic. I lost touch
with you all around then, and I was pretty busy between my job and
helping Tyler get to all of his many medical appointments. About that
time, my new boss went on a campaign to make me quit. Eventually, she
succeeded. About that time, my beloved husband was killed in a
shooting accident. Tyler, who had made significant improvement, went
back to square one. A couple of months after the funeral, my daughter
noticed that I was having trouble walking, and a subsequent checkup
showed that my left leg was becoming paralyzed and I would need
immediate back surgery. The surgery went well, but two weeks later I
ended up with a massive septic infection and found out I was allergic
to almost all antibiotics. I am finally getting better now but I am
left with damaged kidneys and a weakened immune system.

Enough of that! I am sorry I lost track of you all. I have continued
with the baseball group so I have been hearing about you all, but I
have missed your friendship. I have been so depressed and lethargic,
I probably would have never come back, but a note from Dreamweaver
last week sparked an interest for me, and my brother got me hooked up
to converse with you again.

I wanted to let you know that Tyler's life is improving after so many
setbacks. About two years ago, he met a lovely young woman named
Andrea, who has stuck with him and supported him through everything.
They were married last May 24th. He also has a job now, working for
the Minnesota Dept. of Veteran Affairs. He learned about the job from
someone he met while going weekly to the VA. He applied and was
turned down, but he appealed the decision and asked for
reconsideration, because if the VA won't hire a disabled veteran, who
will? He was reconsidered and turned down again, because he was a ND
resident and the job required him to live in Minnesota. He moved to
Moorhead, MN and applied a third time. He finally was accepted for
the job with a year long probationary period. They dropped the
probation after 6 months, and he is doing well. He helps veterans
negotiate the maze of the VA and is now giving motivational talks to
new disabled vets in the system. He has alot of pride in what he is
doing, and the setbacks he used to have weekly are now coming only
monthly, and not as severely.

I have pictures of Tyler and his new wife, Andrea, with Tyler's HUG
which has an honored place in their new home. If someone will email
me privately, I will email them back to you so they can be posted
somewhere where everyone can see them. I usually can't post pictures
myself, because I am still on dial-up, and I usually lose the
connection before I can get a picture posted.

Thanks for the warm welcome, and the M&Ms (I agree with Dreamweaver,
minties are the best!).

Connie from ND

Connie,

Thanks so much for the updates and for the good news about Tyler.
You've had your share of troubles and then some. Hopefully Rctq will be
a place of fun and relaxation for you again.

hugs,
Monique in TX

SSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEE'S
BBBBBBBAAAAACCCCCCCKKKKKKKK
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!

Butterfly (Welcome home)

wrote in message
...
This is from Connie from ND. Thought we had the connection problem
licked yesterday, but today the gerbil died or something. Phooey. --
Her brother Jerry

Thank you all for the warm welcome to my peek back in. RCTQ was my
first venture into a cyber community, and you are my oldest and
dearest cyber friends. I will never forget how kind and supportive
you have always been to me in some of my darkest hours.

I see many new and unfamiliar names, so I would like to introduce
myself to them. I am Connie from ND. I live a short distance from
the geographic center of North America. I have been a quilter most of
my life, taught by my grandmas, mostly making them for my home and my
family. RCTQ gave me confidence in my skills and since joining you
all here, I have donated a dozen or more quilts to local fundraisers.

Four years ago, I felt the love and support of this group surround me,
when I asked for a shower of birthday cards for my son, Tyler. He was
a marine, stationed in Hawaii and would be celebrating his golden
birthday far from home. The response was awesome. His bunk was
covered with cards and letters and gifts from women he had never met.
That winter, he completed his final training and the next spring, he
was sent to Afghanistan. Your support went with him, and he never
failed to get a letter or package from someone at every mail call.
Three years ago, in August, Tyler was shot three times while on
patrol. He was hospitalized for 10 days in Germany, then sent back to
Afghanistan with three open wounds in his chest. Five days later, he
had a massive infection, was sent back to Germany, and finally home.
He is rated at 100 % disabled. He has limited lung function, nerve
damage in his right hand, PTSD, and a traumatic brain injury affecting
his memory and emotional balance.

The last two years for me have been pretty traumatic. I lost touch
with you all around then, and I was pretty busy between my job and
helping Tyler get to all of his many medical appointments. About that
time, my new boss went on a campaign to make me quit. Eventually, she
succeeded. About that time, my beloved husband was killed in a
shooting accident. Tyler, who had made significant improvement, went
back to square one. A couple of months after the funeral, my daughter
noticed that I was having trouble walking, and a subsequent checkup
showed that my left leg was becoming paralyzed and I would need
immediate back surgery. The surgery went well, but two weeks later I
ended up with a massive septic infection and found out I was allergic
to almost all antibiotics. I am finally getting better now but I am
left with damaged kidneys and a weakened immune system.

Enough of that! I am sorry I lost track of you all. I have continued
with the baseball group so I have been hearing about you all, but I
have missed your friendship. I have been so depressed and lethargic,
I probably would have never come back, but a note from Dreamweaver
last week sparked an interest for me, and my brother got me hooked up
to converse with you again.

I wanted to let you know that Tyler's life is improving after so many
setbacks. About two years ago, he met a lovely young woman named
Andrea, who has stuck with him and supported him through everything.
They were married last May 24th. He also has a job now, working for
the Minnesota Dept. of Veteran Affairs. He learned about the job from
someone he met while going weekly to the VA. He applied and was
turned down, but he appealed the decision and asked for
reconsideration, because if the VA won't hire a disabled veteran, who
will? He was reconsidered and turned down again, because he was a ND
resident and the job required him to live in Minnesota. He moved to
Moorhead, MN and applied a third time. He finally was accepted for
the job with a year long probationary period. They dropped the
probation after 6 months, and he is doing well. He helps veterans
negotiate the maze of the VA and is now giving motivational talks to
new disabled vets in the system. He has alot of pride in what he is
doing, and the setbacks he used to have weekly are now coming only
monthly, and not as severely.

I have pictures of Tyler and his new wife, Andrea, with Tyler's HUG
which has an honored place in their new home. If someone will email
me privately, I will email them back to you so they can be posted
somewhere where everyone can see them. I usually can't post pictures
myself, because I am still on dial-up, and I usually lose the
connection before I can get a picture posted.

Thanks for the warm welcome, and the M&Ms (I agree with Dreamweaver,
minties are the best!).

Connie from ND

In article
,
wrote:

This is from Connie from ND. Thought we had the connection problem
licked yesterday, but today the gerbil died or something. Phooey. --
Her brother Jerry

Welcome back, Connie!
--
Sandy in Henderson, near Las Vegas
sw.foster1 (at) gmail (dot) com (remove/change the obvious)
http://www.sandymike.net

Welcome back Connie

I remember when the saga with your son first started. It certainly did get
darker before the dawn, didn't it!
Here's hoping you've come into the daylight now.

Hugs to you.

We're all glad you've come home.

Marilyn
in Alberta, Canada


wrote in message
...
This is from Connie from ND. Thought we had the connection problem
licked yesterday, but today the gerbil died or something. Phooey. --
Her brother Jerry

Thank you all for the warm welcome to my peek back in. RCTQ was my
first venture into a cyber community, and you are my oldest and
dearest cyber friends. I will never forget how kind and supportive
you have always been to me in some of my darkest hours.

I see many new and unfamiliar names, so I would like to introduce
myself to them. I am Connie from ND. I live a short distance from
the geographic center of North America. I have been a quilter most of
my life, taught by my grandmas, mostly making them for my home and my
family. RCTQ gave me confidence in my skills and since joining you
all here, I have donated a dozen or more quilts to local fundraisers.

Four years ago, I felt the love and support of this group surround me,
when I asked for a shower of birthday cards for my son, Tyler. He was
a marine, stationed in Hawaii and would be celebrating his golden
birthday far from home. The response was awesome. His bunk was
covered with cards and letters and gifts from women he had never met.
That winter, he completed his final training and the next spring, he
was sent to Afghanistan. Your support went with him, and he never
failed to get a letter or package from someone at every mail call.
Three years ago, in August, Tyler was shot three times while on
patrol. He was hospitalized for 10 days in Germany, then sent back to
Afghanistan with three open wounds in his chest. Five days later, he
had a massive infection, was sent back to Germany, and finally home.
He is rated at 100 % disabled. He has limited lung function, nerve
damage in his right hand, PTSD, and a traumatic brain injury affecting
his memory and emotional balance.

The last two years for me have been pretty traumatic. I lost touch
with you all around then, and I was pretty busy between my job and
helping Tyler get to all of his many medical appointments. About that
time, my new boss went on a campaign to make me quit. Eventually, she
succeeded. About that time, my beloved husband was killed in a
shooting accident. Tyler, who had made significant improvement, went
back to square one. A couple of months after the funeral, my daughter
noticed that I was having trouble walking, and a subsequent checkup
showed that my left leg was becoming paralyzed and I would need
immediate back surgery. The surgery went well, but two weeks later I
ended up with a massive septic infection and found out I was allergic
to almost all antibiotics. I am finally getting better now but I am
left with damaged kidneys and a weakened immune system.

Enough of that! I am sorry I lost track of you all. I have continued
with the baseball group so I have been hearing about you all, but I
have missed your friendship. I have been so depressed and lethargic,
I probably would have never come back, but a note from Dreamweaver
last week sparked an interest for me, and my brother got me hooked up
to converse with you again.

I wanted to let you know that Tyler's life is improving after so many
setbacks. About two years ago, he met a lovely young woman named
Andrea, who has stuck with him and supported him through everything.
They were married last May 24th. He also has a job now, working for
the Minnesota Dept. of Veteran Affairs. He learned about the job from
someone he met while going weekly to the VA. He applied and was
turned down, but he appealed the decision and asked for
reconsideration, because if the VA won't hire a disabled veteran, who
will? He was reconsidered and turned down again, because he was a ND
resident and the job required him to live in Minnesota. He moved to
Moorhead, MN and applied a third time. He finally was accepted for
the job with a year long probationary period. They dropped the
probation after 6 months, and he is doing well. He helps veterans
negotiate the maze of the VA and is now giving motivational talks to
new disabled vets in the system. He has alot of pride in what he is
doing, and the setbacks he used to have weekly are now coming only
monthly, and not as severely.

I have pictures of Tyler and his new wife, Andrea, with Tyler's HUG
which has an honored place in their new home. If someone will email
me privately, I will email them back to you so they can be posted
somewhere where everyone can see them. I usually can't post pictures
myself, because I am still on dial-up, and I usually lose the
connection before I can get a picture posted.

Thanks for the warm welcome, and the M&Ms (I agree with Dreamweaver,
minties are the best!).

Connie from ND

Connie, you have indeed had a difficult time of it. I will think of Tyler
and send my best wishes to both you and him.

Welcome back to RCTQ

--
Boca Jan
Florida - Land of the Hurricanes
snipsnstitchesatyahoodotcom
http://community.webshots.com/user/BocaJan



wrote in message
...
This is from Connie from ND. Thought we had the connection problem
licked yesterday, but today the gerbil died or something. Phooey. --
Her brother Jerry

Thank you all for the warm welcome to my peek back in. RCTQ was my
first venture into a cyber community, and you are my oldest and
dearest cyber friends. I will never forget how kind and supportive
you have always been to me in some of my darkest hours.

I see many new and unfamiliar names, so I would like to introduce
myself to them. I am Connie from ND. I live a short distance from
the geographic center of North America. I have been a quilter most of
my life, taught by my grandmas, mostly making them for my home and my
family. RCTQ gave me confidence in my skills and since joining you
all here, I have donated a dozen or more quilts to local fundraisers.

Four years ago, I felt the love and support of this group surround me,
when I asked for a shower of birthday cards for my son, Tyler. He was
a marine, stationed in Hawaii and would be celebrating his golden
birthday far from home. The response was awesome. His bunk was
covered with cards and letters and gifts from women he had never met.
That winter, he completed his final training and the next spring, he
was sent to Afghanistan. Your support went with him, and he never
failed to get a letter or package from someone at every mail call.
Three years ago, in August, Tyler was shot three times while on
patrol. He was hospitalized for 10 days in Germany, then sent back to
Afghanistan with three open wounds in his chest. Five days later, he
had a massive infection, was sent back to Germany, and finally home.
He is rated at 100 % disabled. He has limited lung function, nerve
damage in his right hand, PTSD, and a traumatic brain injury affecting
his memory and emotional balance.

The last two years for me have been pretty traumatic. I lost touch
with you all around then, and I was pretty busy between my job and
helping Tyler get to all of his many medical appointments. About that
time, my new boss went on a campaign to make me quit. Eventually, she
succeeded. About that time, my beloved husband was killed in a
shooting accident. Tyler, who had made significant improvement, went
back to square one. A couple of months after the funeral, my daughter
noticed that I was having trouble walking, and a subsequent checkup
showed that my left leg was becoming paralyzed and I would need
immediate back surgery. The surgery went well, but two weeks later I
ended up with a massive septic infection and found out I was allergic
to almost all antibiotics. I am finally getting better now but I am
left with damaged kidneys and a weakened immune system.

Enough of that! I am sorry I lost track of you all. I have continued
with the baseball group so I have been hearing about you all, but I
have missed your friendship. I have been so depressed and lethargic,
I probably would have never come back, but a note from Dreamweaver
last week sparked an interest for me, and my brother got me hooked up
to converse with you again.

I wanted to let you know that Tyler's life is improving after so many
setbacks. About two years ago, he met a lovely young woman named
Andrea, who has stuck with him and supported him through everything.
They were married last May 24th. He also has a job now, working for
the Minnesota Dept. of Veteran Affairs. He learned about the job from
someone he met while going weekly to the VA. He applied and was
turned down, but he appealed the decision and asked for
reconsideration, because if the VA won't hire a disabled veteran, who
will? He was reconsidered and turned down again, because he was a ND
resident and the job required him to live in Minnesota. He moved to
Moorhead, MN and applied a third time. He finally was accepted for
the job with a year long probationary period. They dropped the
probation after 6 months, and he is doing well. He helps veterans
negotiate the maze of the VA and is now giving motivational talks to
new disabled vets in the system. He has alot of pride in what he is
doing, and the setbacks he used to have weekly are now coming only
monthly, and not as severely.

I have pictures of Tyler and his new wife, Andrea, with Tyler's HUG
which has an honored place in their new home. If someone will email
me privately, I will email them back to you so they can be posted
somewhere where everyone can see them. I usually can't post pictures
myself, because I am still on dial-up, and I usually lose the
connection before I can get a picture posted.

Thanks for the warm welcome, and the M&Ms (I agree with Dreamweaver,
minties are the best!).

Connie from ND