While Thanksgiving may be traditionally celebrated in November, today is another important day to give thanks, at least in my world. As most of you are aware by now, my wife Miss E passed away on New Year’s Day, more than eight years after her initial diagnosis of lung cancer. For most of that time Elaine felt, if not great, well enough to keep living her life as fully as possible. It was only in the past six months or so that the cancer started to make her feel worse than the treatments she received, and since last August she was in and out of the hospital on multiple occasions.
In early December Miss E went back into the hospital once again, and a week or so later we learned that she would either be leaving and heading to a hospice facility or would spend her last days in Lynchburg General Hospital. She never left her hospital room, but we were still given the gift of time, allowing us to celebrate Christmas together as a family and for Miss E to spend her final days surrounded by the people she loved most in the world.
Losing Miss E is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to face. She was my best friend and constant companion for almost all of my adult life, and there’s an Elaine-sized hole in my life and my soul that will never be filled. But amid my family’s grief and sorrow, I am also well aware of the blessings that we’ve received, and that includes all of the support we’ve been given by my colleagues Tom Knighton, John Petrolino, Ranjit Singh, and Ryan Petty, who stepped up when I had to step away and made sure that the Bearing Arms audience still had the latest news and information about our Second Amendment rights and the fights ahead.
I also owe a huge debt of gratitude to my colleagues at Townhall Media, including Jonathan Garthwaite, Storm Paglia, and Micah Rate, who’ve been a continual source of comfort and strength during my five years at Bearing Arms. Friends and coworkers like HotAir’s Ed Morrissey, Townhall’s Kurt Schlichter and Larry O’Connor have also reached out to let me know that I’m not alone, and I’m grateful for their friendship and concern.
I’m so thankful as well for the support that I’ve received from Bearing Arms readers and the broader 2A community. Whether it was texting, emailing or calling to check in, contributing to the GiveSendGo that John Petrolino set up to help me and my family, or just sending up your prayers, the outreach I’ve received has helped give me strength when I needed it most.
I’ll confess that there was a part of me that just wanted to stay in bed this morning instead of heading to my office and sitting down at the keyboard. The thought of resuming my daily routine without Miss E’s presence was a little daunting. The past few weeks have been anything but normal, which in a way has made it easier to deal with her absence. I’m not sure that I’m entirely ready to figure out what the new “normal” looks like, but I also know that she wouldn’t want me to wallow in my grief or let it paralyze me and prevent me from doing my job.
It may take me some time to find my footing, and I’ll ask for your patience going forward, but more than anything I just want you to know how grateful I am for all of the love and support that we’ve been given. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
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