Thanks!

Folks, I greatly appreciate the words of sympathy and consolation. As many of you surmised, I do these pieces, not for sympathy, but to help me heal, grieve, and find my way in my new life.

Here's an article of interest: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/17/us/17methadone.html?pagewanted=1 Please be informed if you or someone you know, is taking painkillers.

Jeanette Shanigan
http://shanigansbeadshenanigans.com

October

This month I face and try to accept cause of death issues. My husband suffered constant, acute pain, for which his doctor prescribed painkillers. One day he took too many and died. In his intense grief over the loss of his father, our son self-medicated with booze and a handful of his dad's painkillers. He died, too. I miss them both so much.......

September is done.

For my September journal page, I chose to bead my husband's favorite chair. It desperately needed to be replaced, as the stuffing was escaping in places. But hubby preferred to cover the holes with duct tape, because it was comfy like an old pair of slippers. I cut a square of the black leather out of the arm of the chair and used it for the chair in this square. His empty chair represents the empty spot in our lives.