Merry Christmas

[rolotomasi]

My condolences B

[TommyGambino]

Awful news, sorry for your loss B. Hope you and your family have the best Christmas you can mate.

[Frank]

Sorry to hear about your Mom, B.

Merry Christmas everyone

[Bklyn21]

Sorry for your loss B.

[Antiliar]

Very sorry for your loss, B. You were blessed to have a great mother in your life. May God give you strength.

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to everyone.

[Lefty_Ruggiero]

Sorry for your loss.

Merry Christmas everyone.

[TommyNoto]

I won't be online tomorrow or the next day, and I always like to send everyone on here a holiday greeting.

First, I'd like to mention that I unexpectedly lost my Mom nearly two weeks ago due to a rare infection and we were extremely close. I had the honor of being with her as her heart beat for the last time and would not have wanted to be anywhere else. Her wisdom, kindness, and generosity have left me with a great deal of strength to pull from despite the difficulty of it all. She was a beautiful, wonderful person and it will take me the rest of my life to wrap my head around what a gift it was to have a mother like her. You have to see these situations as an opportunity.

I don't want this to be a sad post, but rather to show my gratitude. A lot of people on here have stepped up in the last year and some of you have become great contributors. More importantly, some of you are very sincere in the way you research and share information and that has given the board a major boost. I'm thinking of gohnjotti, chin_gigante, eboli, and some others. Not trying to leave anyone out, but these are newer fellows who come to mind. Of course there are many of you who have been at it for years, too, and are the backbone of this strange, fascinating corner of the world.

Merry Christmas, everyone. May there be many exciting Ganglands to come.

Merry x mas B and I’m very sorry for your loss.

Your mother sounds like a beautiful soul, we need more people like that

My mother was just like that and I wouldn’t of made it without her judgement free guidance

[Amershire_Ed]

Sorry for your loss, B. Sounds like your mom was a wonderful person who had a deep impact on others.

[Bklyn21]

Merry Xmas

[richard_belding]

My condolences, B. , wishing you and everyone on the forum a happy holidays

[Moscone65]

Sorry to hear about that, I may not know you or know. Your mother, but I know of the loving bond between a mother and son. I hope you seek comfort in knowing that bond will never break and one day you will see her again. Buon natale to you and to all, and blessed be the new year

[roydemeo]

My condolences for your lost.

[B.]

Thank to everyone for the kind words. I hope everyone can look at difficult situations as an opportunity when possible, as being able to do something with a loss is a great source of strength.

Thanks again and hope everyone's holidays have gone well.

[HairyKnuckles]

Sorry to hear that B. Losing a close family member is tough. And I fear the day when losing my parents comes. I´m very close to them and they are getting up there in age. My dad is 85, but still strong as an ox. He has been my inspiration for 49 years now, My mom is 75 and has had a couple of strokes. She hangs on but is not the same person she used to be. A wise man once told me that infortunately, we have to accept death as part of life.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.

[B.]

Sorry to hear that B. Losing a close family member is tough. And I fear the day when losing my parents comes. I´m very close to them and they are getting up there in age. My dad is 85, but still strong as an ox. He has been my inspiration for 49 years now, My mom is 75 and has had a couple of strokes. She hangs on but is not the same person she used to be. A wise man once told me that infortunately, we have to accept death as part of life.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.

Yep, death is inevitable and it is much better to lose a parent than for a parent to lose their child. I would take this deal anytime over my Mom having lost me first. I realized in all of this, too, that I've been grieving the loss of my Mom in advance for all 34 years of my life and I think that's just something we do when we love someone and fear losing them. Now that I'm on the other side of that grief, the reality, it is a powerful and transformative experience.

My Mom had a stroke three years ago and it was in some ways more difficult than this. She bounced back strong from it, but seeing her independence taken from her even temporarily was not easy. The infection took her quickly this time and I'm grateful it was a relatively quick process without prolonged suffering.

Glad you are close to your parents. Not everyone has that privilege, as someone mentioned earlier, and having a good relationship has made the loss easier. Along the lines of what Bronx was saying, knowing that this is not "it", and feeling her presence is something I've already experienced. What a life it is that we get to live.