Patricia Snook:  

Story Wizard - Idea 10 of 30; "Life doesn't always turn out the way you expect". Boy is that an understatement! Where do I start? Jack and I are now divorced after 30-years of marriage. Surprise, I know! He traded me in and married a much younger girl. He kept saying he was gonna do that but I didn't think he was serious! LOL. Honestly though, I think our marriage just deteriorated after the death of our son. Losing a child is almost impossible to bear and apparently, divorce is not an uncommon outcome. Most of you know our oldest son Jack was murdered in 2005. He would have been 32 on June 11, 2012. He served 4-years in the Marine Corps and was in Iraq during the intial surge (Iraqi Freedom) in Feb-May '03. He was a .50 cal machine gunner and sat on top of a Humvee; part of a "suicide squad" that cleared the way for the rest of his company. He survived Iraq but was murdered (road rage incident) in Atlanta in April 2005 just two months after he got out of the Corps. His death has obviously been a very difficult transition for all of us. I have learned to live with his absense in my life, and to cherish the memories. He was a great kid, awesome athelete (took after his dad) and wonderful father to his daughter. I miss him tremendously but also know he would want me to live my life to the fullest, not dwell on the past and to be happy. I know he is watching over me and waiting on the "other" side and I will see him again someday. This belief keeps me grounded. He left behind a daughter who is now 14 and I love to spend as m...Expand for more