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I totally relate to this woman's story from personal experience. My husband and I had two daughters, living comfortably in a middle-class, safe neighborhood, our girls went to parochial schools. We concentrated on our children and raising them. I had a reputation among our daughters friends for being extremely security conscious about our girls.
Beginning in about 1990 I began sensing a real foreboding that something horrible was about to happen. I couldn't place it on anyone in particular in the family. In addition, I developed a serious dislike of all things Christmas. In fact I entered therapy to try and overcome this seemingly irrational fear.
Meanwhile, our oldest daughter would occasionally have dreams that she shared with me that she had been shot. This was so far from anything that should normally concern us because of our very average lifestyle and our caution in all activities our daughters participated in.
In late December once again my daughter shared that she'd had that dream again and asked me what I thought it meant. I tried to assure her that it probably meant she just had a bit of a fear of that type of thing...(in addition her absolute favorite movie of all time was Goodfellas)and she seemed okay with that explanation.
Four days later, on December 21st, 1994 Beth was shot to death at her job by a disgruntled employee, along with a 21-year old male coworker. Her funeral was held on Christmas Eve.

Where's the giant TRIAL BALLOON</> alert?

I was just sitting here today folding clothes and all of a sudden IT HIT ME!!!! I think I'll run for the U.S. Senate seat in Michigan!!!

I've been kinda looking for something a little different to do. I'm really friendly and people seem to like me well enough. My kids are grown, so I have the time and all. I've even suffered from depression. Well, ya know, I've always cared about children too, so I think it's just a natural career progression thing. Also Mr. Dog Mom has a beard.

Honestly, sometimes people say to me just out of the blue, "Dog Mom, you're so friendly. Your kids are grown now, and we notice you really care about children. Hey Dog, why don't you run for the U.S. Senate?" Really. People say that to me every time they see me out getting groceries or picking up dry cleaning, or taking out the garbage. I guess it's just natural for people to make that connection.

I'm thinking that when I have my signs made up I'll do big giant ones that say DOG!!! FOR U.S. SENATE!!! kinda like HILLARY!!!! Look for me to kick off my "listening tour" real soon. I'm gonna use a little red truck too. It's so "little people."

DOG!!! FOR U.S. SENATE

I was just sitting here tonight folding clothes, and all of a sudden IT HIT ME!!!!! I think I'll run for the U.S. Senate seat in Michigan. I've been kinda looking for something a little different to do.

I'm really friendly and people seem to like me well enough. My kids are grown, so I have the time and all. Well, ya know, I've always cared about children, so I think it's just a natural progression thing.

Honestly, sometimes people say to me just out of the blue, "Dog Mom, you're so friendly. Your kids are grown now, and we notice you really care about children. Hey why don't ya run for the U.S. Senate." Really, people say that to me every time they see me getting groceries or picking up dry cleaning, or taking out the garbage. I guess it's just natural for people to make that connection.

I'm thinking that when I have my signs made up I'll just do big giant ones that say DOG!!! FOR U.S. SENATE, kind of like HILLARY!!! Those one-name personalities seem to get a lot of attention these days.

DOG!!! FOR U.S. SENATE

Gee, I sure hope they get my gun to me in time to defend myself against that occasional pesky intruder....or maybe the intruder will give me a few minutes to run down to the station and retrieve my gun!!!!! Two Dog in Michigan

December 21, 1994 our 21 year old daughter was murdered along with a co-worker. It was 3 days before Christmas and they occurred in a small, safe, neighborhood.

In the time right after the murders, friends and strangers went to the store and left hundreds of flowers, signs, notes, poems andblue ribbons in their memory. Blue ribbons were everywhere in town for several months after the murders.

From that year on, and it's been seven long years, the neighborhood association, for the month of December ties hundreds of blue ribbons on all the trees in a little park across from the store in our children's memory. When I see those ribbons, I feel so wrapped up in peoples arms, it is like a warm hug to tell us they still remember.

I don't quite understand the message this is meant to convey. It almost made me feel as though the writer might feel that America is intruding on her grief by displaying their flags and "godblessamericana". I also don't get the royalties angle. I feel americans are trying to show they honored those victims, much like the blue ribbons put up for my daughter. I didn't like it when people acted like voyeurs about us, but I didn't view the ribbons in that light.

Most every other reaction I understand from my own experience, the sense of exposure, (not the Playboy thing however).

As a mother who lost my very sweet daughter to violent death, when September 11 happened, I didn't feel so alone as I have for these last years. I guess that might make me seem like a bad person, too, if I were to admit it. (oh, i just did, didn't I, ooops)

I think I wrote this just because this article puzzled me in some parts.

Sorry, I didn't mean to ramble on.

DOG MOM

I especially like the BLACK PANTSUIT!!!!!! DogMom

Thank you for posting the beautiful Christmas poem, which is so very meaningful to me. Our wonderful daughter, Beth Ann, age 21, was murdered on December 21, along with another 21 yr. old co-worker, with her funeral being Christmas Eve, 1994. Although it has been seven long years without her, it always seems like yesterday when this time of year comes around. Although I have hundreds of "grief" poems, I had never seen this one. It is very touching and it helped me to cry the tears I strenuously attempt to keep under control each Christmas season as we also mark Beth's death anniversary. Thank you.

"WORKERS OF PAIN"?????

Is it me or are all military guys just ADORABLE? (Maybe it's just me)

I am a conservative, 46 year old woman. My daughter was a 21 year old art student. On December 21, 1994 she was murdered with a co-worker while working at a part-time job. During the trials which took over two years, several members of our family, including our then 18-year-old surviving daughter decided to use a piece of artwork that she had done, and transform it into a tattoo in her memory. It started out as the younger members of the family, 18 to 26 who were into getting tattoos, and eventually ten of us ended up at the tattoo place. Her grandfather got a senior-citizen discount, lol. None of us who got them regrets it. At the time I kept thinking she would never have imagined her very conservative mom getting a tattoo, like I was morphing into some kind of biker babe, but then I've had to do a lot of things I never thought I would do. I think much has to do with the reason a person gets one. If it is just to get a tattoo, I would reconsider, but if it is meaningful it feels different. Maybe her mom can try and keep in perspective what is really worth crying about and save her tears for the big stuff. Your daughter sounds like a great girl, and a little tattoo won't change that. DogMom

BOONDOCKS is pure crap. It's an obnoxious, hating whitey, "African-Amerikan" DAILY RANT. When subscribers to our local newspaper complained about being offended by it, they were basically told to shut up. I think it qualifies as "HATE SPEECH", but honkies aren't entitled to special protection. Oh, and it's not at all humorous.

Information available at www.mercyhurst.edu

Apparently not a prank. My niece is a freshman there and students are being tested. My sister is getting a little nervous. It's an unusual target though, a very small, Catholic university in Erie for G*d's sake.

According to Fox News helicopter parts are from a helicopter not even being used in this operation. The parts shown looked VERY old.

Yes, it was the same complete fool, Dona Spring. She was basically spewing as follows: U.N., World Court, violence begets violence....ad nauseum. O'Reilly mentioned something about she should use her head. She was unarmed.

This is actually the first opinion I've seen that reflects my sentiments EXACTLY!!! From the 'not giving a rat's a** right down the line. I'm really fed up with all the media encouraging Americans to "understand Islam." The fact of the matter is, it's not MY religion. I have a hard enough time understanding Catholicism, and it doesn't have a "good Catholicism" and an evil twin, "Bad Catholicism." It's pretty cut and dried that you're not supposed to kill people on it's behalf. When someone does cold-bloodedly do so, Catholics don't say, "oh that's the OTHER interpretation of catholicism." Thank you for a wonderful article. I'd like to see more of your writings.

YEAAAHHH,umm, a SHORT-CIRCUIT....that's the ticket...

He is the CUTEST DARN PRESIDENT!!!!!!!

I am all for the deportation of non-citizens of terrorist countries being sent home, while tightening our borders ALOT. How are we supposed to protect our American citizens while these people are doing what they can to blend in. Of course, we have a right to be suspicious of middle easterners. Just listen to them spewing their madness, even while they are *barely* condemning the attacks on Americans.