Yaaaaaaaaaa how wonderful i'am so very proud of you Elsie. Just goes to show that we can do anything if we set our minds to it. It's time to celebrate your 6 years of freedom.. Awesome Lady!!!! Congratulations to you..

Love love ~ Rachel

Thanks, Rachel!!!

Yay!!! Great job, Elsie! That is DEFINITELY something to be proud of!

Thanks, Judy!

Congratulations Elsie!!! Cigarettes are very addictive and it's a hard habit to break ~ good for you!!!

It's fun to reflect too on all the things you were able to buy with the huge amount of money that you would have spent on cigarettes all those years! Not to mention enjoying the fresh taste in your mouth and clean air around you! Way to go!!!

I'm curious Elsie ~ how many years had you smoked? Was there something special that encouraged you to quit and stay with it?

I'm very fortunate that I never started smoking. My mother smoked a lot and it was a stinky habit ~ I couldn't see the attraction at all. I took a few puffs of a cigarette once ~ it tasted yucky and made me cough so I wasn't tempted at all to start smoking. I understand though that it's often teenagers who start smoking to be cool with their friends.

Huelani, Thank you, in answer to your questions, I smoked for about 32 years give or take. Quit here for a while and there for awhile. I actually started smoking around 12 or 13 on a dare from my brother (more or less). I quit when I was 16 because I was stuck on a Grey Hound Bus with my mom for 2 days. She smoked but would have had a purple cow if she knew I did. I stayed off of them until my marriage was on the way south in my early twenties. Keep the smokes got rid of the jerk. Married Dennis and he smoked so we just continued more thatn less until six years ago when he was diagnosed with end stage emphysema. He was given 5 to 6 years to live. And we wanted to make those the best we could. He probably would hve lived well past the 5-6 years with just the emphysema but he developed neck and throat cancer and passed away Feb 20, 2015. I have no desire to smoke again although at times the thought does cross my mind.

Correction that should say about 42 years all totaled

Oh my Elsie ~ that was a sad situation with Dennis having had emphysema, then neck and throat cancer. That certainly was motivation for you both to stop smoking. I see that you're active in the DS Smoking Addiction & Recovery group. That's good to know that DS has a group like that for support. I don't think a lot of folks appreciate how addictive and difficult it is to quit smoking. That's wonderful that you've been able to quit for 6 years after having smoked for 42 years!

How long were you and Dennis married? I see that the anniversary of his death is coming up ~ and it's only been a year. That must have been very difficult watching him getting sicker.

I don't know all the women in The Gathering Place group but I know there are some other widows including Rachel. My boyfriend died 5 years ago ~ he was only 60. I live alone and have no intentions of dating again so I lost a lot when Damon died ~ he was the only family I had.

Please let us know if there's anything we can do to provide comfort and support for you with the anniversary of Dennis' passing coming up? Perhaps you'd like to share some memories about him ~ whatever would be meaningful for you I'm sure would be welcomed here in the group. One year is not a long at all to be living a new life without your husband ~