One Year Later . . . .

Today marks one year without my sweet baby boy Widget.

Widget was my soul cat and losing him left a quiet in our home that is still heavy to this day. Even with the 3 girls here with us, there is still a noticeable shift in the energy. And it’s a shift that continues to leave my heart screaming in pain.

Widget wasn’t just a companion. He was a constant presence in my life, a silent confidant that would let me bury my face into his belly fluff, and a source of unconditional love that helped get me through some of life’s highest highs and lowest lows.

The grief of losing my soul cat didn’t and still doesn’t follow a straight line. It comes in waves. Some days I feel isolated because the world keeps spinning, expecting me to just move on from a loss that continues to feels monumental.

Every night before I go to bed, he is still the last thing on my mind. And as the day fades and there is nothing left to distract my brain, that heaviness of him not being here comes right back.

Don’t get me wrong. Our girls bring so much life and happiness into this house, and I love them dearly and wouldn’t give them up for ANYTHING. But Widget held a piece of my heart that was uniquely his.

Widget, a year without you hasn’t made me miss you any less. I’ll be thinking of you tonight baby boy, just like I do every single night.

The Corporate Boot Has Always Had Blood on It

Corporations have always used and abused West Virginia, treating the people of this state as nothing more than disposable collateral damage.

Just look back at the Paint Creek / Cabin Creek strike in 1913. Coal operators, along with local law enforcement, didn’t just evict striking West Virginia miners from their homes, they sent a custom built machine gun armored train called the “Bull Moose Special” to riddle their tent colony with bullets during the night.

They murdered Cesco Estep while he tried to shield his pregnant wife and children. And they did this all because miners dared to demand dignity instead of deadly working conditions and fake company money.

And, and usual, corporations walked away without consequences, just like they always do. History proves they will literally machine gun sleeping children to protect their bottom line.

To make matters even more infuriating, the coal miners were tried and convicted while the powers that be merely “investigated” the coal companies and local law enforcement without any type of justice being served.

The corporate boot has always had blood on it. And West Virginians continue to pay the price.

West Virginia Isn’t Poor. It’s Been Impoverished.

West Virginia has shipped out everything. Our coal, gas, timber, and even our young people. Yet we remain one of the nation’s poorest states. This isn’t due to lack of hard work, but because the wealth we generate never stays here at home.

Billionaires fly in for photo-ops, talk about “saving” West Virginia, and then leave with the profits. We aren’t partners in our own destiny. We’re just props in a rich person’s business plan.

West Virginia has powered America for over 160 years. We deserve properly funded schools, thriving towns, and an independent economy.

West Virginia isn’t inherently poor. It has been impoverished. Until our wealth remains in our communities, this cycle will continue.

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