Kelly Gibbons, artist and writer, about me

Tuesday, February 22, 2005

When I received this week's topic for Illustration Friday, my immediate thought was how fitting. My cup is overflowing with sorrow. I did not plan to participate because of all that's going on in my life, but something kept telling me to do it. This is dedicated to my brother-in-law--I'm guessing he's the one giving me the push.

My brother-in-law, Robert "Bob" Gibbons, passed away last week.

It's a very sad story that I'm just not ready to share here yet--maybe I'll feel up to it someday. What's done is done, and nothing I write here will bring him back.

My nephew was left with nothing. At the moment he is living with my husband's sister, but that's only temporary. We're not sure what is going to happen--right now we're taking things day by day.

It's a very complicated mess.

This is extremely hard for me to do, but I have to do something. I wrote this here looking for help. A trust fund has been set up for my nephew, and if anyone can help in anyway it would be tremendously appreciated. You have know idea how much.

For details, please see my brother-in-law's obituary (link is above).

*After reading Kerry's comment (BTW, thanks Kerry), I wanted to clarify something. I do not want to be misleading in anyway. My nephew is 19, and yes, technically an adult. However, up until six weeks ago (when major family problems hit), he was very much a kid. Again, I do not want to go into the whole story--trust me, it is not good, and honestly it is too painful right now. But, he really does have nothing. His mom is no longer in the picture (part of the story), he doesn't have a home of his own any longer, he doesn't have a job (but is working on this), or any money. There was no insurance, and no money set aside for him. Besides a few personal belongings (that have little value), he has almost nothing. He was in college, but didn't return due to the things that were happening. Without being a full time student, he is not entitled to any benefits. Our family is trying to do the best we can, but it is hard.

I decided to post this with Illustration Friday, because to be completely honest, I knew more people would see it. This might mean more help. I hope this doesn't make me seem like a bad person. I'm not. My heart is breaking. Doing this, sharing my families hardship is extremely difficult for me. Those who know me can vouch for this. I really don't know what else to do.

Thanks for listening. Thanks for your support and nice comments--they do help.

Several people have suggested adding a paypal donation button. I still feel weird doing this--asking for help--but as I said, I don't know what esle to do. Thank you.

posted by Kelly @ 2/22/2005 05:05:00 PM

1 Comments:

At February 26, 2005 6:08 PM, Anonymous said…

i'm so sorry for your loss...and your nephew, not only losing his daddy, but having his future and his security in trouble must be making things all the more stressful. keep well, and big hugs,
kerry