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Comment from royowen
Beautifully written and said, some of us may know the end of life experience, I can't imagine the lack of caring the children Ed and Tom had felt at the news of their father's death, look at me, getting into the gist of the story, beautifully written Wendy, very deep, blessings Roy
reply by the author on 15-Jun-2023
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Beautifully written and said, some of us may know the end of life experience, I can't imagine the lack of caring the children Ed and Tom had felt at the news of their father's death, look at me, getting into the gist of the story, beautifully written Wendy, very deep, blessings Roy
Comment Written 14-Jun-2023
reply by the author on 15-Jun-2023
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Thank you very much Roy. I like it when people get right into my stories! This one resonated with many.
Wendy
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Well done
Comment from estory
This was a rather poignant story about how loneliness can eat up a person's life. I thought all the emotion you brought into it, especially in describing how the widower appreciated his wife, made the reader bend in sympathy for this old man left alone in this house. You really ratcheted up the pain level when we discover the old man just wandered off, and his estranged children find out he wandered alone into a wilderness and just laid down and died. Died of a broken heart, abandoned. It really does motivate us to feel sorry for our aging parents. In taking care of my dad for 9 months when he had his stroke, I learned to feel sorry for old people. estory
reply by the author on 14-Jun-2023
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This was a rather poignant story about how loneliness can eat up a person's life. I thought all the emotion you brought into it, especially in describing how the widower appreciated his wife, made the reader bend in sympathy for this old man left alone in this house. You really ratcheted up the pain level when we discover the old man just wandered off, and his estranged children find out he wandered alone into a wilderness and just laid down and died. Died of a broken heart, abandoned. It really does motivate us to feel sorry for our aging parents. In taking care of my dad for 9 months when he had his stroke, I learned to feel sorry for old people. estory
Comment Written 14-Jun-2023
reply by the author on 14-Jun-2023
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Thank you very much. Your review shows much compassion and understanding.
Wendy
Comment from barbara.wilkey
This contest entry is filled with words of wisdom. This poor man. It makes one wonder about his sons. Yes, family is everything, not your work. Their father needed them. I enjoyed reading even though I had tears. Good luck with this contest. In my book you won the contest.
reply by the author on 15-Jun-2023
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This contest entry is filled with words of wisdom. This poor man. It makes one wonder about his sons. Yes, family is everything, not your work. Their father needed them. I enjoyed reading even though I had tears. Good luck with this contest. In my book you won the contest.
Comment Written 14-Jun-2023
reply by the author on 15-Jun-2023
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Thank you very much Barbara, lovely words of encouragement. You are right: family, including older parents, should take priority.
Wendy
Comment from Teri7
Wendy, This is a very well written story you have penned for The Sentence Starts The Story contest. You used great descriptive words that showed how selfish those two sons really were. Best wishes in the contest. love and blessings, Ter
reply by the author on 15-Jun-2023
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Wendy, This is a very well written story you have penned for The Sentence Starts The Story contest. You used great descriptive words that showed how selfish those two sons really were. Best wishes in the contest. love and blessings, Ter
Comment Written 14-Jun-2023
reply by the author on 15-Jun-2023
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Thank you very much Teri. I appreciate your kind words of understanding.
Wendy
Comment from lyenochka
What a sad story with two very important questions to the reader at the end. On one hand, it challenges us to be on the look out for the lonely and forgotten among us. On the other, it reminds us that we need to do more than live on memories.
reply by the author on 14-Jun-2023
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What a sad story with two very important questions to the reader at the end. On one hand, it challenges us to be on the look out for the lonely and forgotten among us. On the other, it reminds us that we need to do more than live on memories.
Comment Written 14-Jun-2023
reply by the author on 14-Jun-2023
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Very perceptive and insightful review. Thank you so much. You are right on both counts. In the first part the story resembles that of my brother in law, whose wife died when he was 62. He?d been working until he retired to care for her. No time for hobbies. Now desolate. (He went back to church, but was seldom spoken to apart from a cursory greeting, so now listens to sermons online.) Still very lonely. Very sad. Thank you so much for your thoughtful review.
Wendy
Comment from Sally Law
Wonderfully penned and illustrated for this prompt. There is much said here about what is truly valuable and what isn't. A life far supersedes things. I was my mother's personal representative when she died. An honor bestowed on me I had no clue about. I handled everything and the selling of her estate and settling all her medical bills, which were massive. The Lord helped me as the hospital heard of my situation and paid her oncology bill in full.
Sending you my best today as always and my bery nest in the upcoming contest.
Sal xoxo's
reply by the author on 15-Jun-2023
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Wonderfully penned and illustrated for this prompt. There is much said here about what is truly valuable and what isn't. A life far supersedes things. I was my mother's personal representative when she died. An honor bestowed on me I had no clue about. I handled everything and the selling of her estate and settling all her medical bills, which were massive. The Lord helped me as the hospital heard of my situation and paid her oncology bill in full.
Sending you my best today as always and my bery nest in the upcoming contest.
Sal xoxo's
Comment Written 14-Jun-2023
reply by the author on 15-Jun-2023
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Thank you for your delightful review, and for sharing your experience. I am so glad the hospital showed such compassion for you. Here we offer free or almost free treatment in public hospitals. If people choose they can have private health insurance which offers specialists of one?s own choice and also a private room. The public health system still offers quality care but the wait for surgery is longer, and the system is overworked.
But we are thankful for it. Thanks too for the good wishes.
Wendy
Comment from C. Gale Burnett
Really, really good story, Wendy. Such a sadness to it because this is how life sometimes is or comes close to for many aging people after losing a loved one and the grown kids are off doing their own thing, not really thinking or aware of the huge loss of companionship their remaining parent is going through.
What I loved most was how you described the characteristics of each spouse, and how they complemented one another, and how the husband, in this case, had lost touch with friends because he was the shy, introverted type. We all need to be more sensitive situations like this.
The imagery was wonderful! Very best wishes!
Gale
reply by the author on 14-Jun-2023
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Really, really good story, Wendy. Such a sadness to it because this is how life sometimes is or comes close to for many aging people after losing a loved one and the grown kids are off doing their own thing, not really thinking or aware of the huge loss of companionship their remaining parent is going through.
What I loved most was how you described the characteristics of each spouse, and how they complemented one another, and how the husband, in this case, had lost touch with friends because he was the shy, introverted type. We all need to be more sensitive situations like this.
The imagery was wonderful! Very best wishes!
Gale
Comment Written 14-Jun-2023
reply by the author on 14-Jun-2023
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Thank you Gale for this wonderful review. Unfortunately it is very close to reality especially the first part. The grief and loneliness can be devastating. Thanks too for the good wishes.
Wendy
Comment from JSD
Great response to the prompt; really enjoyed reading this. Thank you. So much of it rings true and I can see in it so many links to my own parents and the house they lived in. Beautifully described and the way you take the reader through time is impressive.
reply by the author on 14-Jun-2023
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Great response to the prompt; really enjoyed reading this. Thank you. So much of it rings true and I can see in it so many links to my own parents and the house they lived in. Beautifully described and the way you take the reader through time is impressive.
Comment Written 14-Jun-2023
reply by the author on 14-Jun-2023
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Thank you very much John! I appreciate your words a lot. It resonated with many because we all know someone going through this loneliness, or are experiencing it ourselves, or fear we will. Life can be very sad and difficult for older ones.
Wendy
Comment from Paul McFarland
This is a really good one, Wendy. These kind of stories really get to me as I get older. Luckily, I have a son and grandsons who are close by, and we see them quite often. My wife has health problems, but so far so good.
reply by the author on 14-Jun-2023
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This is a really good one, Wendy. These kind of stories really get to me as I get older. Luckily, I have a son and grandsons who are close by, and we see them quite often. My wife has health problems, but so far so good.
Comment Written 14-Jun-2023
reply by the author on 14-Jun-2023
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Thank you so much Paul, also for the exceptional rating and six stars. I?m very honoured. This story is a composite of two people in my life, but it does resonate because that?s what so many fear, or are already experiencing. Are you keeping well at present? And how is Sam? Hope you are both doing okay.
Wendy
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Sam and I are just getting older. We've got a few aches and pains, but we've got a few more years ahead of us. My wife is the one we worry about. She seems to be okay at present.
Comment from Bill Schott
This story penetrates deeply, Wendy. I see this as my fate as well. If my wife were to precede me in death, I would be adrift. My connections with our kids revolve around her. I see this very end for me, except I'll be found on the patio in our swing.
reply by the author on 14-Jun-2023
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This story penetrates deeply, Wendy. I see this as my fate as well. If my wife were to precede me in death, I would be adrift. My connections with our kids revolve around her. I see this very end for me, except I'll be found on the patio in our swing.
Comment Written 14-Jun-2023
reply by the author on 14-Jun-2023
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Oh Bill, that is so sad. Have you other hobbies or activities which will enable you to meet others with similar interests? The first part of this story revolves around my brother-in-law, who was quite young (62) when his wife died, and he had not developed any hobbies before hand. Too busy with his work. Afterwards he felt everything was without meaning. He is still alive but drifting. The end of the story was about someone else?s father, similarly lonely. I hope and pray you and your wife have plenty of happy and healthy years to come.
Thank you so much for sharing and reviewing, and also for the six beautiful stars. It?s an honour to receive them.
Wendy