I'm replying to this from the context of turning 74 this month, going through my various retirement and savings accounts, and my mother being widowed at a younger age.

My father was killed in an accident in 1965.  I was 14 with two younger siblings, mom was 40.  We had moved from Seattle to eastern Washington in 1955 where dad developed a farm from raw ground in the Columbia Basin Irrigation project.  Dad had been raised on a dry land wheat farm but used the WWII GI bill to get an accounting degree and pass his boards to become a CPA.  He then decided to farm :-).  When dad died mom choose to keep the farm and operate it rather than sell it.  While being self-employed has certain flexibility advantages over paycheck employment, it was a challenge for her.  I remember that she took a night bookkeeping class at the local community college just so she could understand things.  Dad, being a CPA, kept a sophisticated set of books.  She was able to be more available as a mother than if she had been tied down to a 8-5 job.

In my early thirties I joined the Knights of Columbus (I know that's not "politically correct" here, please bear with me).  I am now discovering that my KC whole life insurance policy ($100k, which was a lot back then) is one of the best investment decisions I've inadvertently made, I'm not one to worry much about those things.  It wasn't God's plan for me to be married and have children, with a responsibility to provide for them.  As I have no children to care for me if and when I can't, I also had a responsibility to plan for that also.  I no longer need the life insurance protection for a family if I were to die young, but now the KC policy can be flipped into an annuity that will pay $900 per month as long as I live.  Together with Social Security, part time work for awhile, some other savings, and a garden, those should keep me off the street and in groceries.

What an inspirational story.  Glad things worked out for you, moneil.  My husband had a massive stroke when I had multiple kids in diapers.  I was a stay at home mom and disability payments took years to come through.  I had to go to work and put the kids in daycare.  Luckily I was able to eventually work from home and homeschool as well.  God has blessed us financially as I make a very high salary and after my husband passed we found out there was a very generous trust fund from his parents (who had ignored the kids all their lives).  But money doesn't make up for the fact I'm not a man.  Women don't form men and having all sons was a source of suffering to me because I was helpless to guide them to manhood.  House and car maintenance are a source of grief to me.  A leaky pipe becomes a major catastrophe for a lone woman.  I'll never know how many repairmen have ripped me off over the years because I didn't know any better.  But whatever money I lose seems to be replaced in other ways, thanks be to God.  And we have gained skills we wouldn't have had.  But it's not the same as having a masculine leader to manage everything.

There are worse things than a husband who won't conforms to your desires.  

Why don't/can't you attract another man into your life so you can have that masculine presence?

Here's the timeline, in case you missed it.  She had several toddlers, when her husband got sick.  Then he was in a care institution for 15 years, while she had to raise her sons.  She still had a husband, she was not free to get married.  Then he passed away.  I am not sure about others but having teenage sons and just losing my husband that I cared for 15 years, would not put me in any position to find someone new.  Your question FourteenWords is completely rude.

Keep your soup cooler shut. I didn't ask you. I asked McCoy, and I expect an answer from her.

Why should someone respect your wishes, when you have been playing a game of how can I get on CathInfo after I have been banned many times?

More hysterical ramblings from you.

Maybe ramblings.  I gave up being hysterical.