I write to ask on huge favor from my friends here.

[Styxx]

In no way do I intend to take attention away from what has happened in London and to the people who suffered this morning.
Please bare with me for I write with a confused mind struggling for comfort and searching sensible understanding.
Most of you here know me as a carefree person with a love for all people and what God has given to each in everyone. But, lately a cloud hangs over my brightness.
Let me ask of you a huge favor... excuse me while I clear my throat first.
My mom is in the hospital suffering from a second stroke. My sister is now fighting cancer for the second time in ten years. I can't seem to put any of it in perspective. I plea for your prayers that both may make it through. I hope I'm making sense. Just a prayer. Maybe in my mind I believe a prayer from all of you may make a difference. I just want them to come home. :(
Please, just one prayer please? Even If you do it with music in an original composition. Damn! I can't write anymore.
Love you all!
Styxx

[Joseph Burrell]

Love you too bud. They'll be in my thoughts and prayers! I'll be praying for comfort for you as well. Take care and let me know if you need ANYTHING.

[Garritan]

This is so sad.

You have always been here brightening everyone's day and putting a smile on our faces.

I hope we can lift you up in your time of trouble.

Your friends are here for you. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Gary

[CallMeZoot]

you got it.

[Stephanie Pray]

Styxx, I love you too!

You're a great friend and are always a light to help make the day a little brighter!! Thank you for that!

I'm so sorry for what you're going through. Please know that you and your family have been in my prayers. God's plan is a mysterious one. I hope that your mom and sister find the strength to make it through, and that you and your family have the strength to be there for them. I'll continue to pray for you and your family. If there's anything else that I can do, please let me know.

Steph

[O.H.N.O]

I dont know what to say really but..

I have cancer myself, and i can say that the worst thing is how badly it has affected those around me. Iam well enough to continue doing things for the time been but what hurts me is how much other people worry about me.

I consider what might happen and make what decisions iam able to but things that arent in my control i dont worry about. People call this a positive attitude for some reason.

All i can say is all the best for all concerned. But dont let it get to you badly.

[wes37]

Styxx,

You and yours are in my prayers. Best wishes, my friend.

Wes

[cptexas]

You, your mother, and your sister are all in my thoughts and prayers. As Stephanie said, God's plan is a mysterious one. Heck, I'm still trying to figure out what the heck is going on in my life and I'm only 14!! :eek:
But seriously, we're all her for you every step of the way. :)

Chris

[EJ]

In no way do I intend to take attention away from what has happened in London and to the people who suffered this morning.
Please bare with me for I write with a confused mind struggling for comfort and searching sensible understanding.
Most of you here know me as a carefree person with a love for all people and what God has given to each in everyone. But, lately a cloud hangs over my brightness.
Let me ask of you a huge favor... excuse me while I clear my throat first.
My mom is in the hospital suffering from a second stroke. My sister is now fighting cancer for the second time in ten years. I can't seem to put any of it in perspective. I plea for your prayers that both may make it through. I hope I'm making sense. Just a prayer. Maybe in my mind I believe a prayer from all of you may make a difference. I just want them to come home. :(
Please, just one prayer please? Even If you do it with music in an original composition. Damn! I can't write anymore.
Love you all!
Styxx




You and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers. Having lost a wife to Cancer, I can relate..... EJ

[FredProgGH]

Absolutely I will keep you and your family in my prayers, Styxx. Hang in there. :)

[88fingers]

Styxx,

I know how it feels. I have been going through family and friends health hardships lately.

We are with you and your family is in our prayers.

I will pray for your mom and sister. I will also pray for you to find strength and guidance in the challenges set before you.


Hey, also, it's okay if you don't frequent us as much while you're collecting yourself back up but, by all means, "Don't leave us." We look forward to your posts every day !!!!!!


Take care.

Sincerely,
Pete Casti

[DPDAN]

Hi Styxx my friend,

I am not going to say everything will be alright, because none of us know that, but I will be praying especially for your Mom and Sister, and also for you and your family.

Sometimes God allows us to go through things that we think we can not handle. God knows I have. With God's grace, mercy and love, we can get through it. Sometimes the pain is a daily struggle, and other times, it seems like it will never end. Lean on Him, talk to him, and plead with Him. Ask for His will, and ask for Him to give you peace in the days ahead. He will if you ask.

I care for you greatly Mike, and really admire your unashamed love for God, and willingness to request prayer for your loved ones on this public forum.

I will pray for healing, favor, and peace beyond all measure.

You will get through this Mike, you are very strong. Your wife and children will help you to stay strong.

Your friend,
Dan K.

http://www.mydocsonline.com/pub/DPDAN/litehouse.jpg

[thesoundsmith]

Styxx, I too send a prayer for you, my brother, and one for your mom, and another for your sister. Bless you all, and keep your faith strong.

[Jerry W.]

Styxx,

We will be praying for you and your family as well. :) I have had experiences similar to yours and know the utter helplessness you sometimes go through when things like this happen. Keep your faith.

Jerry Wickham :)

(and Allison and baby Claire) :D

[beach]

Styxx,
you and your family are in my prayers.
There will be a day when the darkness will end and the sun will go back to shine in the sky.
Your community is close to you.

Your friend,
Roberto

[Tom Hopkins]

Styxx,

I hope everything works out to give you many more quality years with your mom and sister. These things can be very difficult but you have a lot of friends here for support. Maybe that knowledge will help (at least a little) while you and your family cope with these events.

Tom

[Tony Monaghan]

Styxx,

I'll remember you and yours in my prayers

[O.H.N.O]

I just want to add.

Whenever you feel at your lowest, go for a walk or do something physical. It gives you time to seperate and think and its no lie that exercise helps keep your mind healthy.

[GerardR]

Styxx, I am not a very religious man, I hardly know how to pray, but for the sake of the health of your mother and your sister I'll do my best. May God help you all.

Gerard

[Ray Lindsley]

Done.

Wish I could think of something more comforting to say. Keep the faith.

[Poolman]

Styx - I feel for you. I'm not religious, and don't go much on prayer. But I'm thinking of you and your loved ones, and wish you all the comfort you may find.

Terry

[tgfoo]

Styxx, you and your loved ones are in my thoughts and prayers. Best wishes and hopes that things get better for you and everyone else.

[BermudaFlyer]

Styxx...

I'm sending you some Bermudiful goodly vibes... for you and your family. Keep your chin up, dude, and we'll be there for you. :)

[valhalx]

We've all been in your place at some point in our life. You have my heart felt condolences.
Val

[Christopher Duncan]

Hey, man.

Years ago I wrote a column called Notes from the Road. Apologies for the length of this post - I used to have these online, but cleaned them all out when revamping the web sites. Anyway, having been through some of what you're experiencing, I thought this one might help. Hang in there, man.

Notes from the Road: The Eye of the Storm

Within the hurricane, that fiercest of storms, there exists a moment of peaceful sunshine where the clouds part and the winds still themselves. Of course, in order to experience this wonder of weather, you're going to need an industrial strength raincoat and a fairly stout tree. The tree, of course, is your anchor in an otherwise unstable world. The bright yellow raincoat will simply provide a more visible target for the hurricane's fury, but it's a highly fashionable bit of apparel on these occasions.

Life can have its own version of this tropical maelstrom. Regardless of lifestyle, occupation or favorite shade of raincoat yellow, we all get hit by severe weather on our personal journeys. This squall can take the form of difficulties at work, a crisis of health, matters of the heart or any number of other problems. While we're all familiar with day to day difficulties, occasionally we're confronted with what seems to be overwhelming troubles.

Even a single, sincere emergency can be a truly unbalancing experience. It's one of life's little ironies that in your hour of greatest need you'll be under your greatest stress. As this is not the state in which most of us make our best decisions, it does seems a bit unfair. Were it up to me to decide, I would restructure the human architecture so that higher emotional pressure would produce greater calm and poise. However, after an unfortunate incident involving a late night poker game on Mount Olympus, the gods have paid little heed to my perspective on such matters. Consequently, we still live in a world where difficult situations result in great emotional duress. I'd also like to mention for the record that I have no idea how 5 aces got into that deck.

So, at a time when we need them the most, balance, perspective and calm all decide to catch the late show at an all night theater. An unpleasant side effect of this is that many times, as we struggle with one problem, our poor reactions create yet another that might not have otherwise occurred. No matter what the scenario, you now have one more thing to deal with. This obviously does little to improve your state of mind.

Are we then doomed to a cycle of ever increasing dilemmas, each one causing the next, with no end in sight? Of course not. Don't forget, somewhere in that swirling mass of wind and rain is the eye of the storm. While it's perfectly conceivable that you can go around in circles forever avoiding the calm, it exists nonetheless. You may as well look for it, as that tree won't hold you forever and the thin yellow garment you're wearing will do little to cushion your fall.

How can it be possible to find peace and tranquillity in the worst moments of your life? Strange as it may seem, the first thing you need to do is let go of the tree. Ask anyone who's going through a difficult time why they're such a mess and they'll undoubtedly snap back at you that it's perfectly normal. Any fool should realize, they will elaborate, that in times of trouble you're going to be irritable, unfocussed and generally out of balance. Leaving degrees of foolishness to the side for the moment, let's analyze that assumption. Likely? Sure. Common? You betcha. However, is it an immutable constant that you must lose your balance in times of crisis? No, but as long as you insist that it is, you'll never let go of that tree.

What would happen if you did let go of the assumption that problems and imbalance were an inseparable couple? In the beginning, your reactions would continue as they always have, responding to the pokes, prods and pain of unpleasant scenarios. However, no longer insisting that you have little choice in the matter, you're now free to consider your options.

A phrase that to me seems the cornerstone of Zen, 'be here now' can be excellent advise and your ticket to the center of the storm. We spend much of our lives, particularly in periods of great stress, with our minds focused on everything except the current instant. Our stomach may be churning over something that just happened yesterday, or we may be filled with anxiety over what will happen tomorrow. All the while, the moment we exist in slips away without ever gaining our attention.

It is in the here and now that we find the calm at the heart of chaos. Whatever has happened is beyond your grasp. Your distress over the matter does nothing but distract you. As for your future anxieties, you have a finite set of choices that you can make regarding them. Analyze the situation and make your best decision. Having done so, there is nothing left to consider. With no remorse over the past and all decisions made for the moment regarding the future, you're free to give your complete attention to what you are doing right here, right now.

Welcome to the quiet zone. Free from the anxieties of yesterday and the dread of tomorrow, there is nothing left to distress you. You are free to put heart, body and soul into whatever task you happen to be performing at this instant. Who knows, it might even be something fun. There's no law that says you must be somber and unhappy while coping with your challenges.

Focusing on the present and letting go of past and future worries takes some practice. Once you get the hang of it, though, you'll be much stronger when the next storm rolls in. Having found the eye of the hurricane you simply follow the storm, staying in the center until it dissipates, as they all eventually do. When that happens, you'll find yourself once again standing in a clear and sparkling sky, which is just as well. It's probably about time you took that raincoat to the cleaners.

[Karl Garrett]

Oh dear. How did I miss this thread?

You know I have a special fondness for your Mother, even though I've never met her, :) and I think by the posts above, you know that you mean a great deal to all of us here. I want to echo Dan's message for you. Of course there is no way we can predict the outcome of struggles like this, We can however. pray for you and your family to find peace in God’s strength.

Mike, before I started typing this, I called our church and placed you and your family on our prayer chain. You now have a couple of hundred more folks who will lift you and yours up in prayer.

Please know this. For everyone who posts here, there are hundreds that read your wit and wisdom everyday, and I'm sure that to a person, each one has grown to care for you and wishes only the best for you.

To you, your Mother, your Sister, your family, and to all who care about them, I wish you God's comfort.

Your friend,

Karl

[ailteoir]

styxx you and your family are in my thoughts and i hope that all goes well.

[Styxx]

I have a short moment to thank all of you for your prayers and words of comfort. I want you all to know I regard you as the greatest in my life of friends and hold you all in the deepest of respect and admiration! I look forward to reading your posts, wit, and humor everyday and especially your hearing all of your talented demos even if I don't have time to comment.
I don't know how to thank you all except to say, you have given me the courage to look forward and stand with my head high.
Thanks again.
Yours.
Styxx

[Stiletto]

Styxx,

My prayers are with you and your family. May you be granted the strength and peace to carry you through these troubled times.

[JonFairhurst]

Styxx,

I wish you and your family all the best, and hope for quick and solid recoveries.

That said, it's a sad fact of life that he who lives longest has to live with the most grief. Cherish the moments that you have with your friends and family, regardless of their health.

Great music takes us through an emotional journey. So does a great life. Be prepared to experience the full range, and never get stuck in a single movement or mood.

Let your family know that they have lots of friends across the globe that care.

-JF

[LouisD]

Styxx

Be assured, you and your family will be in our prayers.

Kind Regards

LouisD

[Brian2112]

We are with you Styxx!

You have a lot of people that love you! Hold on to that...that's forever.

Brian:o

[Fabio]

I think that the strong example of humanity and friendly attitude, is not forgotten by any man on the earth knowing you, as by a God in the sky, that also is knowing you.

Anyway my mind and heart are beside your pain.

ciao,

Fabio

[Rhap2]

Styxx:

Your mother and sister are in my prayers. Every once in awhile we are tested to see how much strength and faith we have. This is a time that you and all of us WITH YOU will ask for the healing of your loved ones. This we ask through prayer, music and any other medium that can accept our wishes for the speedy recovery of your mom and sister.

You have given so much, Styxx.........Let us give back something to you in our own individual ways........

Your friend,

John Cannon

[southportJim]

Styxx,

Just got to this post late in the day. Sorry to hear this. If I had seen this first, I wouldn't have posted the flippant thread about trading you a hurricane for a snowstorm.

You've got our prayers, man. None of this stuff ever makes sense, but over my lifetime I've been thru this kind of thing several times and have become convinced that God (or whomever/whatever is ultimately responsible for all this) gives us just enough strength to carry us thru the day...one day at a time.

We're all with you...
Jim

[Josh]

You got it, bud...i'm no stranger to the darkness of life...i'll be speaking with The Universe on your behalf. ;)

Stay Strong.

[joaz]

My thoughts and best wishes are with you and your family at this trying time.We all love you here,and send our love to you.
regards

[mistersynth]

I'm new round here but I've seen enough of your input to know you're a decent guy who always does his best to put a smile on everyone elses face - and now we find out that while you're doing that you're going through this terrible pain yourself.
Well, a prayer or two isn't too much to ask and you've certainly got some going up there from me for your mum, your sister and of course yourself.
Seems like there's quite a few prayers from quite a few of us around the globe going up there - too many for 'Him' to ignore if you ask me!
Take care,
Thinking of you all,
John

[Shazbot]

I love you, man (and I don't even want your Bud Light!), and I'm praying for you and your family. Keep your spirit up and your knees down.

[SeanHannifin]

Styxx,

Thank you for always sharing your brightness throughout the forum. It really wouldn't be the same without you. You and your family will definitely be in my prayers. God bless.

Sean

[efiebke]

The warmest thoughts and prayers and prayers of healing and peace to you and your family. . . .

:(

[vic_france]

Styxx,
I watched in stunned amazement the news about London, feeling mainly anger. I have just now read this thread, and spontaneously burst into tears.
I hope you can physically feel all these "virtual" arms around your shoulder right now. It is wonderful to know that we are still capable of feeling deep love for people we don't even know. Make sure that your sister and your mother know how many strangers to them are praying for them. (maybe print out this whole thread and read it to your mom when you next visit the hospital?)
God bless.

[Pat Azzarello]

Our prayers and thoughts are with you and your family as well.

And keep that sense of humor going - it will help you and the ones you care about get through this.