True. My daughter lives and works in Spain. She had to have a government sponsored job, ie: working in a state school, before she was accepted as a candidate for citizenship there. It interfered with her being able to rent a flat, in that her deposits were huge and she had to pay her rent something like 8 months in advance, until she was accepted. She said the beurocracy and paperwork was horrendous too. She is not accepted, has a full time job, pays only one month rent in advance, and comes in for benefits like free medical and other expenses, which she didn't qualify for before she got everythign sorted out.
My son now has all that to go through again in the Ukraine, where he now lives. He even has to go to Croatia to get married, next year, (and have his future wife accepted in the EU for travel to Ireland to visit us), because of the red tape in the Ukraine.
According to the CDC in 2006, Last up to date numbers,
30,896 total, of which,
642 accidental, 16,883 were Suicide, 12,791 were Homicide, 220 were Undetermined and 360 by Legal intervention.
Remember that in the same year,
43,664 were killed in Motor vehicle accidents, 37,286 died from poisoning, 20,823 died from unintention falls.
In 2005 CDC reported
652,091 people died from heart disease, 559,312 from cancer and 143,579 from stroke.
If looked at in the wider scheme of things, it is just one more way to die, and the figures say it is not even the most popular, or common, way to die................
To my mind though, all of these gun related deaths are definitely preventable deaths, where the others are often not.....
I never felt I ever had any control over what happened in my life when I was growing up. How could I change now, what I couldn't change the first time?
I can't say, I wish I had been happier. I can't say I wish I had been treated differently. All that was not something I could do anything about, and still cannot do anything about.
What I thought I might change in the past, I made very real efforts to change, and had my hopes dashed over and over.
Thinking about changing the past is only a waste of good day dreaming space for future hopes.
I love babies. I've spent my life looking after them one way or another. It is nice to have another generation to care for. My brother's kids are the same age as my grandkids, and I alternate between both houses. Don't know why they like me, but they cling like little limpets. Rather sweet I think.
Coincidental Deaths This is a similar story of coincidence, (to the previous story on the web page), not of twins but of two brothers.
In 1975, while riding a moped in Bermuda, a man was accidentally struck and killed by a taxi. One year later, this man's bother was killed in the very same way. In fact, he was riding the very same moped. And to stretch the odds even further, he was struck by the very same taxi driven by the same driver - and even carrying the very same passenger!
(Phenomena: A Book of Wonders, John Michell and Robert J. M. Rickard)
That is the main reason I am torn about leaving here, even though at some point I may need to, since my health is deteriorating with every winter that passes here. As it is I get to see the grandkids a couple of times most weeks and we are very close.
I'd be in pieces if my grand daughter said that to me. The pain and the guilt are awful. It will get worse for me now when my son and older daughter, who both get married next year, both start families. No way I can be a big part of all my grand kids lives then. The more we love each other the harder it is.
My heart really goes out to you for what your grand daughter said, but she won't be 7 forever and as she gets older, she will be able to come and stay with you more, and you can both build and strengthen your bonds again.
I suppose in one way it is wonderful that our families love us so much, and we love them that much too, but it makes things really hard when we have to be apart.
I feel torn about wher eto live these days. Winters here, for me, like for you, are too cold now. My fear is that the guilt would eat me if I moved though, even for my health.
My kids are in three different countries. If I go live in Spain, like I want to, near my oldest daughter, then my youngest one and her two kids, who live some distance away from me here in Ireland, will be heartbroken. They already miss the others terribly as they have always been close.
If I have to spend another almost year away from my oldest daughter in Spain, I will be heartbroken as well, as we always have been almost inseperable. Now my son has gone too, to live in the Ukraine, and living here, I don't have anyone to have coffee with any more, or call in to see, or share a meal with.
I miss that freedom of access to them, as they do to each other and to me. I understand each one is pursuing their own dreams and the time for them to lead their own lives had to come eventually, but it doesn't make it any easier knowing that.
I know how you feel when you visit your daughter and have to leave again.
Mine had a wooden dashboard, tinted windows with de-misters, was an automatic, and was a dream to drive, with big huge luxury seats. It also had carriage suspension and felt like I was floating on air cushions on the road.
I had it for about 5 years before I sold it to my brother, who had me plagued to buy it.
gingerb Forum Posts (4,139)
Rather sweet I think.
RE: Citizenship
True. My daughter lives and works in Spain. She had to have a government sponsored job, ie: working in a state school, before she was accepted as a candidate for citizenship there. It interfered with her being able to rent a flat, in that her deposits were huge and she had to pay her rent something like 8 months in advance, until she was accepted. She said the beurocracy and paperwork was horrendous too. She is not accepted, has a full time job, pays only one month rent in advance, and comes in for benefits like free medical and other expenses, which she didn't qualify for before she got everythign sorted out.My son now has all that to go through again in the Ukraine, where he now lives. He even has to go to Croatia to get married, next year, (and have his future wife accepted in the EU for travel to Ireland to visit us), because of the red tape in the Ukraine.