Everyone is welcome to share: What’s on your mind?

Dear users, dear authors,
here in the forum, everyone is welcome to participate: users, silent readers, authors, and anyone interested in crafts. 

So if there’s a craft-related topic or a general chat topic that’s close to your heart, you can start a thread about it. 

Of course, you can also join in with the craft group or the yarn swap package. 
Here you’ll find a list of popular threads that people enjoy reading again and again. 
current link to the craft group + other popular threads

How is everyone doing right now?

I’m not doing well at all right now.
On October 19, I had to let my little dog Flocke cross the Rainbow Bridge. She was very sick, and there was nothing I could do for her except hold her as she passed on and fell asleep forever.
We never would have thought she was that sick, and when the call came from the veterinary clinic and I got in the car to pick up my husband from work, I screamed like I’ve never done before in my life… She was simply everything to me…

And now, with a fever of 40, I’ve been struck down for the second time this year. It’s only been a few weeks since my last bout of the flu. I think the stress and deep grief have weakened my body so much that viruses had an easy time attacking me.
And so I’ve been bedridden since Thursday and don’t even have the strength to knit or crochet. Surfing the internet now and then and reading a lot—that’s all I can manage.

The next piece of bad news comes from my father-in-law. He was taken to the hospital by ambulance—diagnosed with lung cancer, which has already metastasized.

I can’t take it anymore. This year has been so terrible. On my birthday, my friend died of colon cancer at the age of 49. Then came the worst loss for me—my dog—and now it’s uncertain whether my father-in-law will even make it to Christmas....
:`(

Get well soon, and I wish you lots of strength! There are years like this—I think almost everyone has them, myself included. But even those pass, and in the meantime, don’t just mourn the losses—remember the richness of the time you shared with everyone.

Get well soon, Michaela! I think almost all of us have gone through and survived such difficult years. You’ll get through this too, and I wish you all the strength you need.

When Flocke had to go, you were there for her, able to hold her and make her final moments easier. For us humans, it’s terrible and we almost despair, but the animal senses right up to the very end that their beloved human was there. (From personal experience)
But you’ll always have your memories of Flocke and everything you experienced together. No one can take that away from you.

With every birthday, you’ll think of your friend, and with every birthday, it’ll get a little easier because you know she doesn’t have to suffer anymore.

I hope your father-in-law doesn’t have to suffer too much and can pass away peacefully when the time comes.

Now you need to think of yourself and make a full recovery—both for your own sake and for your husband’s. He’ll need your support, too. To process so much grief, your body needs to be healthy. Don’t give up on yourself; fight for your health, and once you’re well, you can begin the grieving process.

Warm regards
Marlies

Get well soon, Michaela—the flu is no joke, so please take care of yourself despite the grief and stress you’re currently facing due to the circumstances in your family.
We all go through years like this from time to time—I’ve been there too, and I came out stronger. The good thing about times like these is that they, too, will pass and eventually become just a shadow of the past, even if it feels like they’ll never end.

Love, Inge

Dear Michaela, I hope you feel better soon. Take good care of yourself. Take care of the important things—the rest can wait.

I’m so sorry for your loss. So much pain all at once is hard to bear.

I wish you lots of strength and all the best for your father-in-law

Dear friends, thank you so much for your encouraging words.
It’s, to quote the late Queen Elizabeth II, an “annus horribilis.” Things can only get better, and that’s what I’m hoping for next year.

Take good care of yourselves.
Love,
Michaela 

Dear Michaela

That’s exactly what I recently said to someone too: 2023 is an “annus horribilis”: First, the farewell gathering in January for my brother-in-law (my husband’s younger brother), who lost his battle with cancer at Christmas, then my husband’s increasing weakness, which ended in his death at Easter… Then I was diagnosed with a herniated disc, which limited my mobility, and no sooner had I been able to hike pain-free again thanks to physical therapy than I had a fall on my bike. The result: a pelvic fracture, hospital, crutches, more physical therapy… In between, there were two funerals for younger colleagues, both of whom lost their battle with cancer, and finally the news that a good acquaintance has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer…
To you, dear Michaela, I wish lots of strength and a good recovery, and above all many positive experiences in the coming year.

Kind regards

Christina