A Special Thanks

[Claude J]

A Special thanks to everyone that called and emailed me over the last few months of the year to send reassuring words of encouragement and support.

I've come to realize that most of our clients are my true friends

Everyone has been very supportive and I could not cope with tragedy without you.

People I've known for years won't even return a phone call when needed
Not so in the lava community

I receive phone calls from clients and gooheads that I've known for a long time as well as ones I only communicated briefly or not at all
For this, I sincerely thank you

In case you are not a Facebook user, you would not know that there has been tragedy struck in my life

I lost my wife a few days shy of our 25-year anniversary and 3 beloved pets all raised from babies - all within the last 60 days of 2022.
Then for a Piece de 'resistance Christmas present, my Gmail and Facebook were hacked and disabeled.

Needless to say, it's been a rough time.

Much of my time immediately afterward was spent sleeping in an effort to avoid additional depression.

Nightmares still happen and will probably never go away
I write this at 5 am because yet another one

Now, I bury myself in work and projects to keep going

Words of praise for the product and the website are what keeps me going.
It's great to know we make a difference and can put a smile on people's faces while saving historic lamps. I now dedicate my daily effort to supporting my true friends, the lava community.

More changes and improvements, along with an increase in the product line, are forthcoming

Keep an eye out and register for the email list at LavaLabCreations.com

Dean Koontz has also provided support and tears at the same time

Grief can destroy you –or focus you. You can decide a relationship was all for nothing if it had to end in death, and you alone. OR you can realize that every moment of it had more meaning than you dared to recognize at the time, so much meaning it scared you, so you just lived, just took for granted the love and laughter of each day, and didn’t allow yourself to consider the sacredness of it. But when it’s over and you’re alone, you begin to see that it wasn’t just a movie and a dinner together, not just watching sunsets together, not just scrubbing a floor or washing dishes together or worrying over a high electric bill. It was everything, it was the way of life, every event and precious moment of it.

~Dean Koontz

[Susan]

I'm so sorry for your loss, my heart goes out to you, you have my deepest condolences. 

[KirkS]

Thanks again for your assistance and making a new hobby for me. I run your wax daily and it has held up extemely well. A few days ago one has really started to get nice and ropey. 

I saw your FB friend request and thought that was the fake one. As far as your old acquittances it can be difficult for people to handle others grief. People don't know what to say and they also  have to face certain fears too. 

Just swapped out a Consort and Med to glitter as I could not get them going and expected you were going to announce you have a new wax for those lamps. 

[Claude J]

Thank you

Glad to hear it
Unfortunately, with all the personal events going on  we gave up on trying to get that specific mix to work in consorts and Mediterrians
To make things worse, my Facebook got hacked on Christmas day, thus the new profile.

The old account is restored 
KirkS said:

Thanks again for your assistance and making a new hobby for me. I run your wax daily and it has held up extemely well. A few days ago one has really started to get nice and ropey. 

I saw your FB friend request and thought that was the fake one. As far as your old acquittances it can be difficult for people to handle others grief. People don't know what to say and they also  have to face certain fears too. 

Just swapped out a Consort and Med to glitter as I could not get them going and expected you were going to announce you have a new wax for those lamps. 

[Silas Jordan]

I am so sorry to hear Claude! I'm on Facebook, but I don't use it much beyond lava lamp and car groups. I honestly can't imagine what you're going through. My older cat had some serious medical problems come up rather suddenly a few months ago and I had to make the call when it was obvious he wasn't going to recover. I held him while my wife scratched his head until he fell asleep in my lap. I was a blubbering mess and I still get teary just typing this out. I simply can't imagine losing both other cats and my wife within a couple months. I'm happy to be part of this community and a small part of what's helping you work through this.

[Claude J]

thank you
I lost my children- a boy and a girl @ 3-6 years of age in the 80s 

So, I'm not a stranger to emotional devastation

Actually 3 cats, 2 died of old age
(one was 18yrs old)
Princess fell off the couch and was breathing irregularly, 
I was going to take her to the vet in the am and when I awoke, she was gone>
Dedicated as usual;, she didn't want to be a burden on us

the wife's death was unexpected but anticipated due to the lack of trying to recover with Phys Therapy
She was bounced from 2-ERs to ICU's to 2 different nursing homes.

thanks again for the kind words, I push one day at a time, 
I still break down a few times a week,

Keep thinking I could have done more, but I know that was impossible

silas Jordan said:

I am so sorry to hear Claude! I'm on Facebook, but I don't use it much beyond lava lamp and car groups. I honestly can't imagine what you're going through. My older cat had some serious medical problems come up rather suddenly a few months ago and I had to make the call when it was obvious he wasn't going to recover. I held him while my wife scratched his head until he fell asleep in my lap. I was a blubbering mess and I still get teary just typing this out. I simply can't imagine losing both other cats and my wife within a couple months. I'm happy to be part of this community and a small part of what's helping you work through this.

[andy ross]

Been talking to Claude - he's in hospital with post-operative infection

[Loren]

I've been away due to bad circumstances of my own, but I'm so sorry to come back and see this - I cannot even imagine.

I'm so sorry for your losses, my friend, and have so many hugs for you...