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Trece Wyman's avatar

So much love to you. So very deeply sorry for your enormous loss.

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Lisa J 💜🏳️‍🌈's avatar

Thank you! I choose to believe I was blessed by the time I shared with him rather than wishing it had been longer, even though I miss him dearly at times. I didn’t even know people could love like that. My time with him was definitely one of the better parts of my life. ❤️

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Pansy Buzhardt's avatar

I can’t thank you enough for this amazing and beautiful story that most of us can identify with on some level!!

I pray you are getting good care and your health outlook is positive!

I somehow needed this story today! ❣️💟💝

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Lisa J 💜🏳️‍🌈's avatar

Pansy, I am so glad that this story was good for you! I am trying to be mindful of the care my body needs - had a second time in acute kidney failure last fall. In the end, treatment for my kidney issues is two medications I take faithfully and avoiding things that mess up my blood sugar numbers and staying hydrated.

I would like to live long enough to see my grandkids grow up.

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Pansy Buzhardt's avatar

Hope you are still doing well!!🙏

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Lisa J 💜🏳️‍🌈's avatar

Thank you! I am grateful for how my life has been blessed! ❤️

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Bruce J.'s avatar

What is a “radicalized YouTube hole”⁉️⁉️

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Lisa J 💜🏳️‍🌈's avatar

A rabbit hole YouTube show. Kind of like InfoWars. That was my first guess. There can be all kinds of sites out there. My experience with my husband’s conspiracy theory rabbit holes was that they often market gold, silver and prepper stuff (at least one if not all three) and discuss rumors and twist news to be sure you believe the sky is falling (for one thing, it is marketing - you are more likely to prepare for the end of the world if you think it could realistically happen).

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Kimberly's avatar

Mine is my Favorite Ex. There’s a reason why he’s my favorite, but there are many reasons why he’s my ex. One reason is he doesn’t take care of his health. He’s diabetic and eats as if he isn’t. It’s awful. His memory has become terrible and he fell in a radicalized YouTube hole.

He’s so very kind to me and my kids. He is like a grandfather to my granddaughter. My children celebrate him as a father on Father’s Day. But he’s MAGA.

I can barely speak to him right now. If Trump’s big stupid bill passes, there’s a very good chance I’ll lose my health insurance despite being disabled. Our SsI is in danger as are my SNAP benefits. I’ll probably die if I lose Medicaid.

But, I try to remain friendly in the hope he’ll snap out of it. I love him and nothing can change that.

Note-my first husband died of cancer 25 years ago and I feel your pain. I’m so very sorry you lost your husband.

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Susan Theriault's avatar

Thanks for sharing!

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Lisa J 💜🏳️‍🌈's avatar

One of the people my husband helped with homelessness treated his diabetes similarly. He died in the hospital after they did three amputations in a row because he just wouldn’t heal. The third amputation he didn’t ever wake up from anesthesia. It is painful to watch someone deliberately kill themselves with food and drink. I am sorry you are living that.

I would love to talk to you more about your day to day struggles and how things are already affecting you. I am poor enough that I go to the food pantry. DOGE cuts cut the list by a third, and this month on my visit they took away a box of macaroni and cheese and a box of spaghetti for single people. I am diabetic with kidney issues (and now liver problems have cropped up), so I don’t use either of them - I go to the food bank mostly in hopes of low sodium/low carb canned goods and any fresh vegetables they might have to share on my day. But people who can eat pasta could use those two items for six meals. That is a lot of meals to skip.

If you’re willing, message me. Telling these stories will help humanize the reality that so many are dealing with, and the fear for our futures. I have already told my kids I am self-deleting if they end Medicare, social security, or if I develop dementia or cancer. I can’t afford any of those possibilities.

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hans jonsson's avatar

Great Writing. Thank you for sharing!

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Lisa J 💜🏳️‍🌈's avatar

Thank you for your encouragement! I know the US is better than it is currently, and hope my voice and encouragement can help us change things!

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Susan Theriault's avatar

I appreciate your voice.

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Lisa J 💜🏳️‍🌈's avatar

Thank you. ❤️

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Jim Bannon's avatar

Sharing is CARING —- Susan Theriault

@nursesue

I am a retired RN. My ex husband had us involved in the institute of basic life principles home school program and it was a cult. I am born again Christian . I’m very dismayed with every stunt Trump is pulling. https://www.facebook.com/BudgetVideo4BIZ2019/posts/pfbid02Ra8nr8ct9i7pdkPSnzrq9X69oY7GmxdJ9f1XeeYsJ9zUr7suYXXrb3TkgMYCzJ9fl

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Susan Theriault's avatar

Thank you Lisa!

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Lisa J 💜🏳️‍🌈's avatar

You’re welcome. I have had an interesting life.

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julie elder's avatar

I am SO with you on accepting former trumpers—this means they’ve come to their senses, and they deserve to be welcomed! I know some conservatives who are good at heart but have been led to believe lies, so glory be if they get their shit figured out!

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Lisa J 💜🏳️‍🌈's avatar

Yes! There are heartbroken families missing the member who couldn’t be reasoned with. I am sure they would love to have them home.

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julie elder's avatar

One of my granddaughters, for one….

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Lisa J 💜🏳️‍🌈's avatar

My sister voted for Trump as a disabled woman. She is far from hateful and not really MAGA, but doesn’t really stay abreast of politics much. I am not sure how many voters he got like that. Then there were so many who didn’t vote at all.

So many strategies to activate the electorate through education and empathy! We have to save our country. After a century of expanding rights they are taking them away. It is so wrong.

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julie elder's avatar

Gotta put everybody in their “less than” place, like all good narcissists do!

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Lisa J 💜🏳️‍🌈's avatar

She fell for the “illegal aliens are violent criminals” because she lives in Texas and was hearing it constantly from state and local government as well. She didn’t investigate the whole thing, and since she is home bound, has little interaction with anyone else. Kind of an accidental echo chamber.

Othering quits working once you have verifiable facts and meet a couple of the scary people. One of the reasons I encourage people who are brave enough to reach out to MAGA with empathy and kindness - when they figure out that the other side of the aisle isn’t full of godless commies trying to overthrow life as we know it, it begins the doubts that help with the rest.

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julie elder's avatar

Makes sense—and fear is a powerful tool…

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