I hope that you could get her to try the cookouts.

I think that's what got me out more then anything. My kids do cookouts in the summer months a lot and on holidays, it can be 30 to 40 at their cookouts. They invite me to most of them unless he has to have something for his men at work.

I can remember no matter how sick Bill and I were we would go and we'd enjoy it. With so many people around it's hard not to be talking to someone and maybe forget the pain for awhile.

When we first started doing them, there were times I had to lay down for awhile at them but there were so many people there they didn't notice.

It could be something else going on with her and her Mother though that she doesn't want to be around her.

My Dad held the family together also but when Mom was living we still all got together at her house and we all brought food. I still do when I go over to the kids for a dinner or a cookout. That makes it easier for the cook.

Bill and I both did councelling also. He went for a few years to help him learn to cope with me and when we knew he didn't have long to go, we both had councelling to help through that. I think it would be a great ideal for you to have councelling also. They are great listeners and don't repeat. LOL

She might need more time to get to a better place where she can be around people. I think for me it was about 9 years. I was a mess.

Be patient and just hang in there. It does get better.

Ada