Kimmi, Denise, Priscilla, Ginny-----

I'm responding to all of you in one post so as not to clutter up the board with 4 separate posts!!!!

KIMMI---You and I have LOTS in common in terms of our jobs!! My unit, Investigations, is the equivalant of a Detective division in Law Enforcement.

Within that, my particular area of specialization is Homicide---I'm solely responsible for all of the suspicious deaths/murders of children in my Region (my county CPS agency is divided up into 15 regional offices). You can imagine some of the cases I get.....I also get most of the really severe injury cases, too, and any high profile ones. I work very closely with the County Sheriff's Homicide unit and the County Coroner's Office, and with most of the local city police agencies.

I used to get a lot of the P.C. 288 (sexual abuse) cases, but as my expertise developed, it just worked out that I get all of the homicide cases. My second husband was a Juvenile Detective, we met on a case, going through a suspect's trash, LOL...it was a huge high profile case that the FBI was involved in... We're still friends, and enjoy still swapping life-in-the-trenches stories.

Well, I can't wait to swap stories with you!! I'd LOVE to hear more about your work!!


DENISE--Your response to my story about my mother was one of the most meaningful I have ever heard. That experience has haunted me ever since, but it also taught me to be aware, always, of treasuring the time you do have with someone. Of course, we are all human and we whine, complain, fuss and fume--it is part of our essential human frailty and messiness...and I know that my mother understood that.

Denise, I wish more than anything that you were going on the November Tahiti trip!! I just sense that you and I have so many deep things in common. I can't wait to meet you in May, and between now and then, I'm sure we'll be sharing many more important things. Well, we'll just have to plan a cruise that we can both go on for 2006, LOL. Of course, we live so close to each other, that hopefully, we'll find many ways to connect!! You seem like such a rich and sensitive person, so aware of how fragile this thread we're all hanging on really is..... You're awesome!!

PRISCILLA--Thanks for your warm and hearty welcome and for your enthusiasm about my posts. I tend to talk (write) a lot, and I don't want to annoy people with long posts, LOL!!! Do you have an INTRO post in there? There are so many, but if you have one, tell me what page it's on, so I can read it!!


GINNY--Another animal lover!!!!! I'm so glad you take care of cats---there are so many of those with no home. It seems that people are more careless and casual with cats than they are with dogs. There is nothing worse than seeing a scraggly, thin kitty begging for food in the neighborhood.

I've owned several cats, all dead, now. My favorite one was Puddy, who died 10 years ago from cancer. I'd gotten her for my son. Before her, there was Buckley (named after William F., LOL) who was rescued by my first husband who was a Veterinarian. Someone brought him in b/c he'd been hit by a car and my then-husband brought him home for me. I had him for about 7 years, and he somehow got out of the house (I never let cats go outside) and I never saw him again.

My last cat, Max was a shelter cat. I got him when he was 18 months old....he'd been returned by 4 families, and I found out why....he had a nasty habit of attacking people. He was difficult to live with, but I kept him b/c I knew that no one else would want him. You couldn't walk around the house in the dark, b/c he'd launch himself at you and bite nastily. I had him for 9 years, and had to put him down b/c he got this awful, incurable respiratory fungus that made him sicker and sicker. I was sad, but relieved, at the same time. He really was difficult.

I'd love to hear about your cats, Ginny!! BTW, Ginny is a favorite name to me, b/c there was a wonderful womoan from our church named Ginny--she moved away, but we all remember her with so much love.

Thank you all for such warm welcomes and for being such a wonderful, diverse, enthusiastic group of awesome people. Warmly, Liz