My name is Betty and I am a widow. I have been a widow these past five years. I was born and raised in Charlotte, NC, but, have lived in these here hills going on 30+ years. Would never want to move back into city life, although I do go to Charlotte often because my family lives there. I love my family and friends. Without them life would not be any where at this stage. The little ones are what makes it all worth it. I also have a church family without whom these past almost five years would have been intolerable. You know people walk through this life alone and lonely even though there is a room full of people around them. They are the ones I would reach out to if I could. I think when you have walked a mile in my shoes then you would understand where I am coming from when I say that. Some times I wonder if this is all there is to life then I read my bible to get the answer to that question as much as I can. God has a reason for everything and one day you and I both will understand what that reason is. I have a wonderful step-daughter and son-in-law whom I love dearly. I have two step-grand-sons and between them I have seven great-grand-children, and a beautiful grand-daughter who graduates this year from high school. I hope and pray that one day if I live long enough, I can see her get married and have a wonderful life. I am a smoker but what differance does that make. When you care enough about someone it should make no differance. I also am a breast cancer survivor and I am proud the fact that I am alive. We are not promised a tomorrow so we have to make the best of today so that we can and live life to the fullest so that when that day comes we are ready and we have no regrets. As I get older I find with the passing years that not many younger people have the respect or believe in the older people. They do not yet understand that the older people have been their age at one time and walked the walk they are walking now. But with time and matuity one gets with age then they come to understand one day that their elders like their grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles are not so different after all and they do know just how they feel and when they give advice it is because they have been there and only want what is best for the ones they love. There is an old say that goes like this: "To the world you might be just one person, but, to that one person you might just be the world". We should all try to remember that at all times and live our lives so that if that one person come along we can show them our true selves.