My apologies

[CanineCaravan]

My deepest, sincere apologies to everyone in the forum for my indescretion regarding my post reply. It was not my intention to cause any type of dissention, which apparently I have. For that, I apologize. I've been told that I'm "too sensitive, need thicker skin," ect.. Those folks are absolutely right. I am rather shell shocked these days. I was just super excited about showing everyone our new "home"---first one we'd have in close to four years now, and felt the need to "protect" my dream. I guess I am rather "touchy" about the subject. I take full responsibility for my sensitivity to life these days. Life has not been kind to me---but you all have, and I want you to know that I appreciate that, love you for it and want only the best for this forum. Just wanted to say that I"m sorry for any interruption to the smooth running of this forum.

[Liz]

You've been through a lot, and had an especially difficult week. It's only understandable that you are sensitive, and you explain it all so well in your wonderful & educational blog. I for one, hope you will reconsider and come back to post about your move in your new home on wheels. I was really looking forward to reading about your progress and meeting you some day. I am confident that every one of us on here wishes only the best for you and your daughter. May God continue to bless you as your journey begins.

(My husband sustained a TBI and I know that being "too sensitive" was not something he could easily shrug off...we'll try to be "more sensitive", ok?)

[cpatinjones]

Ditto what Liz said.

I have enjoyed reading about your journey, it is inspiring to me. I know if you are doing it with all your challanges (past and present), I can do it too! Thanks for being you!

I pray you will re-consider staying on the forum and getting to know us better and let us know you better.

Take care and praying for the best for you and your daughter.

[mitch5252]

Ditto what these other ladies have said, Kim. I hope you stay.
I will pray for a success-only journey for you and Sarah, the pooches, and your gorgeous new home (although I didn't get to see it! )

..

[Nasoosie]

THERE you are!

I thought about you all night long, and just composed a lengthy PM to you before reading this post here. I could have saved my words! I just KNEW you would be able to educate us all about your delicate self-esteem as of late, and that your behavior, though normal for someone in your shoes, seemed so hurtful to others and confusing to yet others. I also hoped you need us as much as I feel we all need you to help us learn some ins and outs of human behavior and a person's amazing ability to overcome adversity. As the ladies in this post have said, we NEED you to educate us about the behaviors of people who have suffered the many blows you have experienced, and we need you to teach us a bit of patience. We also need you to show us that some reactive behaviors cannot be taken personally, but need to be regarded as gut-reaction outbursts brought about by repeated blows to the human soul.

I, for one, am learning about the tenacity of the human beings from you, and your blog uses your talent with words to help me better understand myself. I am more than happy to have read this post this morning! Thank you for being there!

And I am now exhausted from a long night of trying to 'talk' to you as if you were before me! But off to school I shall go to face an entire roomful of human souls who have faced innumerable adversities. Perhaps you have helped me already to see their behaviors more clearly than I once did.

Thank you for being who you are and for letting us know you, and for allowing us to accept your apology for behavior beyond your control. And now I am so looking forward to reading about your next chapter in your life, and getting to know you better! Your daughter is lucky to have you in her life.

Sigh!

[Cedar518]

ok,....and i'd been reading threads from bottom up on my screen and when i found the "bruhaha" I sent you a PM. Nice to see that you have understood that nobody was intending to hurt your feelings. Keep on posting!

[deborah12060]

Hi Kim,

I feel so bad. I have read through a number of posts now, and I'm out of the loop and not able to get into the loop to see what ever happened. Well, that doesn't matter what happened. It does matter that there was some bump in the road.
I'm so sorry. And, it sounds like you are o.k. now over whatever happened.

Kim, please don't leave the forum, though, of course, I understand and support you in what ever you need to do to feel
safe, supported and appreciated. I have such regard for your surviving and overcoming all that you have, and would very much like to be included in your life as you go forward.

I should write more and track better on the forum. I have thought of you in your recovery on the gall bladder surgery and was very concerned when I read last weekend about the dog food poisoning that you all seem to have survived. And this is such a wonderful time, your embarking on your journey, the new rig, the new blog., I would hate to miss all the fun and challenge that awaits you.

Concerned,

Deborah
(DD)

[retiredhappy]

I did one post and it went off into the ether somewhere. Glad you realized no one wanted to hurt your feelings. We're a pretty diverse bunch and have lots of opinions which we give freely. You will never find a bunch of more caring women than on this forum. You won't always agree with all of us but you can just ignore what you don't want. You've survived a lot in your life - you'll survive us, too.

[JanetA]

Ditto to what all the other gals have written!
Sometimes we wear our feelings out on our sleeves,, not intentionally, but they can be a bit raw and so naturally they can get irritated or hurt when something hits wrong. WE want you to know that all remarks are intended to help, not hurt and we just get back up , dust ourselves off and plug on to victory in whatever small (or large) mountain we have to climb.

Just know that we are sisters under the skin and want only the best for each other,, however different our philosophies of life may be. I came to learn that myself.

I cannot express what a loving bunch this is... as you probably have already found out!

Much sister love back to you,, and may your burdens from this time forward be lighter and your heart be happy.

Janet

[Getupngo]

I'm so glad you decided to come back, Kim. I find there is a thin line of separation for me between excitement and sheer terror! For years before I set out on each trip I was an absolute DIVA, blowing up over this and that. But it was all about fear. Once I hit the road I began to relax into the journey.

I'll let you all know when I STOP being a pre-launch diva.

Most of us wrestle with self-doubt and second-guessing as we think and dream and search for our "perfect" rig. I personally have gone through a 21-foot Class B & a 29-foot Class C (no slides & no toad) before ending up with my current 35-foot Class A with two slides & a Honda CRV toad. It's a learning proce$$.

And I love what Liz said. You are a SURVIVOR of far more than I thought I could ever bear. But we walk through our trials, one at a time, in the moment, imperfectly. If I had known what life had in store for me, I would have just hidden under the bed!

Again, thank you for coming back. Enjoy your rig, tell us about your travels and, as always, we want pictures, pictures, pictures.

[fairlady1600]

Hi Kim,

I read your posting and the replies and since I didn't have a clue what the apology was about, I decided to read your blog and see if I could come to some understanding as to what this was all about. Opening your blog and finding that you have a traumatic brain injury made me want to post. The reason that this was important for me is because my ex husband has a brain injury due to an overdose of chemotherapy which he received in 1992. We managed to stay together until 2005 when the behavioral changes and anger issues due to the brain injury was diagnosed as Frontal Temporal Dementia. Its been 5 years now and the diagnosis has been changed to nuerotoxity or non progressive Dementia but it has changed the lives of our family. My 3 daughters have all grown up with the struggles that come from brain injury.

I admire all that you have managed to accomplish with your life. My ex struggles with acceptance of his limitations. As my last child leaves for college. I have put the house up for sale and bought a RV and will start my adventure of traveling to find where the next part of my life will be lived. I'm scared beyond belief but realize if I could support this family for the past 5 years and survived 2 knee replacements, the second which was just last month. That whatever the road has to throw at me has got to be easier than this has been.

I am also experiencing the decluttering of the past 25 years in this home. Its funny how so much of it I really don't care about, but giving up the family home is both sad and frightening.

[deborah12060]

Hi guys,

This is a bit off point, maybe should be in "new topic" but I want to say that reading the posts here of the last couple days has felt so reassuring to me. Addressing the scariness of change, of moving out of homes of a lifetime to new adventures,
it all is feeling very good to me. Thanks so much.

DD

[CanineCaravan]

Hi Kim,

I read your posting and the replies and since I didn't have a clue what the apology was about, I decided to read your blog and see if I could come to some understanding as to what this was all about. Opening your blog and finding that you have a traumatic brain injury made me want to post. The reason that this was important for me is because my ex husband has a brain injury due to an overdose of chemotherapy which he received in 1992. We managed to stay together until 2005 when the behavioral changes and anger issues due to the brain injury was diagnosed as Frontal Temporal Dementia. Its been 5 years now and the diagnosis has been changed to nuerotoxity or non progressive Dementia but it has changed the lives of our family. My 3 daughters have all grown up with the struggles that come from brain injury.

I admire all that you have managed to accomplish with your life. My ex struggles with acceptance of his limitations. As my last child leaves for college. I have put the house up for sale and bought a RV and will start my adventure of traveling to find where the next part of my life will be lived. I'm scared beyond belief but realize if I could support this family for the past 5 years and survived 2 knee replacements, the second which was just last month. That whatever the road has to throw at me has got to be easier than this has been.

I am also experiencing the decluttering of the past 25 years in this home. Its funny how so much of it I really don't care about, but giving up the family home is both sad and frightening.

Thank you so much for your post...and my deepest regrets that you and your family has been touched by brain injury. It truly is a devastating illness in that many issues can present in behavior-related symptoms.

I wish you well in this next part of your life and look forward to following your adventures.

While Sarah and I lost our home (and entire family) in that horrible night back in 2006, leaving "home" is not an issue...but going to our new RV home is a very exciting and hard-fought dream come true for us. Nonetheless, it is frightening...leaving all we know behind, and not knowing if/when my brain will cooperate. But the thrill of starting over and the dream of creating a better life for us overrides that fear, and I'm more than ready to jump in with both feet.

I handle most "life" situations fairly well these days---I have many strategies that I've created and incorporated into my recovery/post brain injury life that I've found can get me through just about anything. It's relationships I struggle with (obviously). While people KNOW I have a brain injury, it isn't apparent, and especially when they see what I do for a living, they think that I'm perfectly fine---but that's such a curse for me, because there are other parts of me that say what I say without filter (this post, case in point). I end up (inadvertantly) turning people off, feeling really, really bad, and then want to retreat into my own little shell for fear of hurting someone else. It's a never ending battle, but I'm working on it.

If you ever need any type of brain injury resource, please let me know, or check out my site: www.CanineAndAbled.com under the "TBI" page. I'm so glad you found me on here, and pray that you and your family experience a wonderful new adventure in your full timing endeavor. I look forward to haering more from you.

[CanineCaravan]

Hi guys,

This is a bit off point, maybe should be in "new topic" but I want to say that reading the posts here of the last couple days has felt so reassuring to me. Addressing the scariness of change, of moving out of homes of a lifetime to new adventures,
it all is feeling very good to me. Thanks so much.

DD

I guess it's true that theres a silver lining in everything, huh? So funny you brought this up... I wrote about something similar in my travel blog today...about riding the tides in the storms in our lives to seek out new adventures/desires of our hearts.

[fairlady1600]

Kimberly,

I'm also glad I found your post and that we have met. My Ex has alot of the same issues, the brain injury doesn't affect his intellect but other aspects of the brain and because he can function so well in some areas its hard for others to accept that he has difficulties in others.

I also look forward to your adventures and once I get this knee replacement healed and bending (having some issues there) I hope to be on the road and who knows maybe we will meet up somewhere.