1998.

Turned 40 on Nov 20 1997.  Dad passed away Feb 1998.  Mom fell a few days after the funeral and sustained a head injury requiring surgery.  Things went downhill from there and she needed to be placed in a nursing home.  I ended up walking away from a good business I had with a friend to come back to San Diego to be with her (the cousin that was supposed to "take care of her" ended up nearly fucking up all our family financial/will/trust plans).

Mom was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in October and passed away on my 41st birthday, Nov 20 1998.  The phonecall from the nursing home at 0800 was my birthday wakeup call.

Yeah, 1998 and my 40th year on this rock sucked.

2005 Without a doubt. Was the pallbearer for three very close friends/ coworkers. And attended three more funerals of close friends father, sons. 2005 was the worst.

1989
1990
1993
1994

Quoted: You gotta make your own luck my friend.

... Absolutely

... Even in my worst years, there were many things to be grateful and thankful for

... I've vowed to never complain about my life as long as I wake up breathing

1975...........both Mom & Dad died.

My worst year started April 29, 1997:  My 17-year-old son hung himself.  World and family began to fall apart. Wife and daughter fought constantly.  In 2001, daughter was raped at college.  After spending years of heaping horrible emotion and verbal abuse on our two surviving kids and me, my wife of many years moved away.  I still had our youngest in HS.  He stayed with me.  Lost almost everything in the divorce.  That worst year finally ended on Dec. 10, 2004, when the divorce was finalized.  

I still have nightmares most nights.  I lost my job of 10 years last summer.  I was a total burn out.  I'm a $50/day school substitute.  It's about all that I can handle right now.

But I am getting much better.  Daughter is married and is pregnant and due in August.  Son is just now able to function around other people and learning to deal with stress.

My oldest borther took me in.  He looks after me and I do the same for him.  It is days such as this one that a I realize that just how damaging all of this was to me.  

Both of my parents died when I was a teenager.  Carol was my world.  Living with her nearly killed me.  When she walked out, I hurt almost as much as when our son died.

I didn't see her at all in 2005.  It was the first year I hadn't seen her since 1969.  I grieve about my son and the loss of my wife.

I am very blessed to be surrounded with friends and family who love me.

The sun always comes up the next morning.  Wonderful things can and do happen.  I am doing so much better than I used to.

My user info is made up.    I want to be able to post, but I prefer to stay behind the curtain.

Quoted: My user info is made up.    I want to be able to post, but I prefer to stay behind the curtain.

Friend, anonymity is a blessing.

Prayer sent for you W-R, and others that 2006 brings you better times.

2005

1992.

The year my biotch of an ex-wife wanted a divorce.  February 14th to be exact.  She told me right after I gave her some Valentines day flowers.

Totally stressed both me an my two sons (7 and 3) out for the whole year.

I eventually got sole custody of the boys.

She found out the grass isn't always greener on the other side of the fence and wants to come back.  NOT!  Sucks to be you biotch!

By 1993 when the divorce was final, I realize getting the divorce was the best thing that ever happened to me.

She:  Living on the edge.  Can't hold a minimum wage job or a boy friend.  She has been married and divorced again since me.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh.

2005

Was also a very rough year.  Watched my wife and best friend die of cancer.    She's gone and I miss her very much.  Makes me wonder why the good ones like my wife go early (age 51) and the assholes like my ex-wife and my wifes ex-husband live forever.  We used to joke about hooking my ex-wife and her ex-husband up together.  Birds of a feather type thing.......

2005

Many of you are an inspiration to me, after what you have posted here.  Thanks for that.

aye to that peteco, they have made me think my situation is nothing compared to theres

1992 was a rough year for me.   But compared to what I just read, I am with PeteCO and Inspector1 on this one.

This year is starting out to be pretty rough.  I am currently watching a close friend fight cancer for the second time in a year and a half.  He's only 32.

When I was an intern I was trying to get a central line into an HIV/Hep C positive ICU patient who was coding, and an idiot resident who didn't understand the concept of 'space' bumped hard into me.  The blood-soaked needle went right into my left middle finger.  

I remember taking AZT and wondering whether my life was over.  I got tested every 3 months for a year before I finally considered myself 'negative'.  There was no sexual contact whatsoever with my girlfriend during that time.  It was a long year for many other reasons.  

The bad times never last an entire year for me.

1995.  Best friend died of cancer.  I had my wisdom teeth and tonsils removed.  Plus my first wife cheated on me. All in the last 4 months of the year.

2004-2005

2006 is looking up though!