To my friend Marlia, I say thank you for being so strong.  Reading your blog this a.m. inspired me to write, because someone in my life is like that woman behind the counter at the hardware store.  Thinking only of themselves, and pretty much ignoring anything that is good in their life.  Self pity rarely serves any good purpose that I can see, although, probably every person indulges in it from time to time.  It's what you do about it that makes all the difference in the world.  It also changes all the worlds around you of the people you love. 
I want to grab this sad person and tell them, WAKE UP!  Life is a gift and you are standing on it crushing it into the ground because it's just too much effort to lean down and pick it up.  Enough, already, take that bedraggled gift and be appreciative of what you have.  It may not be much in the eyes of someone like Bill Gates, by it should be enough for the likes of us.  We should thrive on the love of friends and family, for in the end, money and things won't count for a lick.  Love, on the other hand, counts for everything and will get you through irregardless of your worth on the stock market of life. 
Thank you my dear friend, for reminding me that we all have that choice that I so love to quote:

GET BUSY LIVING, OR GET BUSY DYING.......