Hi Sandi,
I lost my wife in August of last summer. It has been really rough. I know what you mean about being lonely. I lost my mother in 2010 of ovarian cancer. My father in 2013 from lung issues because he smoked since highschool. I have a step daughter who moved in with me around the holidays then pulled her usual dissapearing act she had always pulled on her mother and I over the years. I thought loosing her mom would have shocked her into some reality, but apparently not. I have an uncle who is in bad health and that's it. My family is bascally gone and when I lost Linda that was my world. So I have two puppies who were our babies and I take care of them.

I know that my wife wanted me to find any happiness I could and live the rest of my life the best I can, even remarry some day if I found that special person. I remember we would spend evenigs watching T.V. spending time together and both of us were so relieved that the dating was over becuase of the horror stories out there. And now I'm thrown back into a world I never was good at in the first place. We weren't drinkers or went to any clubs, it just wasn't us. Mostly home bodies.
Reading your post scares me in that it seems folks out there haven't matured up any more lately than they were before. When I met her, her situation was simiular to yours. A single mom with a daughter and trying to deal with jerks of the world.

I am hoping to some day rebuild my life because I'm just not motivated to move ahead if it's only me to retire eventually to.
We both relied upon our faith to get thru and if not for that I would be in deeper crap emotionally than I am now.

I just wanted to say don't give up and get desperate. Don't compromise your self respect it's the one thing noone can take from you. Your daughter is watching you for her role model and how your dealing with life, I don't have to tell you that's a heavy responsibility to bare. I work with emotionally disurbed and abused children and their environment effects them more than we adults really realize. Please take care of you and be careful out there.

Peace, Tim

That is probably the one reason that I am alone. I have such a strict set of rules when it comes to bringing a man into my daughter's life. We were very physically abused by her father and it has taken years to rebuild her trust in anyone. After we moved to Florida she really fit in and made friends and has just started to get out of her comfort zone. She spent the night with a friend for the first time last weekend. The only person she has ever felt comfortable spending the night with was my father. Like you I am a home body. I go to the beach and out to eat with Parris but that's it. I am not at all a club person and I don't like crowds. I am from Tn and definitely a country girl.

Hey Sandi,
I am way familiar with protecting trust. Linda had just gotten out of a seriously abusive relationship when we met. Her daughter was also in danger of the same so she ended it. So her trust was very heavily guarded. So I learned early on how to be patient with her and once she gave me that gift of trust I was extremely careful to protect it. In my work trust is a must or you get nowhere with the kids. It is a special gift that most people just take for granted.
To give you an example. We made this pack with each other. It went that if either one of us did something so damaging as to cheat on the other than the marriage was over at that moment. No starting over, no discussion just over no matter how bad it hurt. I had no problem with it and actually appreciated that she was taking our marriage just as serious as I was. I am so proud that of all the time we had together I never even as much as flirted with anyone for fear of sending the wrong message. I know this sounds old fashion but a person's feelings are fragile and very slow to heal.
I guess that's why when I read your post it reminded me of how things were for her when we met. She told me about this guy she went out with on the advice of one of her friends. He was in his early twenties. It was funny she said that the whole evening she kept wanting to ask him how late his mother said he could stay out.
That was the end of her going down that road. Then we met soon after.
Anyway I just wanted to encourage you to take your time and be careful. There are some characters out there.
Peace, Tim
I read your from Tenn. That's my neighbor; I'm from Alabama.

hi welcome to our corner of the Internet....have you ever looked into Meetup.com? It is a great way to meet plenty of new people with similar ages and interests....you just go to meetup.com create a profile for yourself and join a group or two near your home...they put up events that they want to meetup with new people at and you RSVP yes or no if you want....you don;t even need to do that....just knowing where others are meeting is a good idea for getting out and meeting new people....

Agree w Bill, for you meetup.com might be a good option.

There are next to no men to date where I live, and on the dating site I tried for about 6 mos, nothing but pigs. So if I wanted to practically agree to have sex with them on first date...well I might have gone on a lot of first dates. Other than that I am often asked "out" by married men.

If younger single men are asking you out, go for it! Just be sure they aren't gigalos. lol

i think most people is having a hard time. Eventhough they have a relationship. (They say they have one) It is a struggle. Because life is hard. Relationship is tough. A dating expert said most people are lonely.
I think many people say they have someone. They are just doing something together. Alot of married people are lonely.

Me too! I totally get it! I live right by my ex of 8 years and we hardly see each other. I still have things at her house, but she NEVER invites me over, yet gets upset if I do not call her, or respond to her texts that she says she is checking on how I am doing.

Anyway, I am so tired of it. My beautiful Black Labrador Retriever is all I have and really the only companion I want and need. She is great!

Yet, we both are tired of not having what we once had. Relationship, family, adopted family, and generally someone who is always there who you know you love and are loved by.

My family has all moved and my parents are gone. Everywhere I go is a memory of what once was and will never be again. I cry a lot and at anytime and anyplace. Mornings are not fun. It all hits me when I wake up.

And I feel so many people I was once close to and liked me are not close to me anymore and do not like me anymore. I have no idea what I did. And so many people my age and younger are passing away.

I miss my Mom and Dad SO MUCH!!!!!!!

My life changed when I lost my Mom, who was the last one to pass away. I have not been right since losing her almost 6 years ago. I was doing better, but with so much happening in the last 2 years, I am back where I started from. And new thoughts and emotions have been being felt. I miss the past and the way things once were.

I have never felt like this. Ever.