VIDALIA, La. &045; Pausing for a moment of rest after a busy work week allows Debra Squyres to reflect on how far she’s come in the last several months.

Taking a break from the book she was reading in the cool shade in front of her Cross Street house, Squyres seems at peace.

But it’s taken a while to get there, said Squyres, whose husband of 23 years died suddenly of an aneurysm almost one year ago.

With the couple’s house in Jonesville holding too many memories for her, Squyres moved out of that house and into a new home in Vidalia.

Going to the Jonesville house &045; where her 23-year-old son now lives &045; is still difficult for her.

But her story doesn’t stop there.

Depressed over the death of her husband, Squyres turned to an Internet chat group, a support network for widows and widowers hosted by America Online, two months after his death.

Squyres, who is otherwise skeptical of spending too much time on the Internet, said that group, as much as anything else, changed her life for the better.

&uot;For a while there, I would turn (the computer) on before I did anything else,&uot; she said. Even when she was traveling on business, &uot;I would turn on the computer before I even unpacked.&uot;

From the moment she first logged into the chat room, Squyres said she has been welcomed by fellow members who have acted as nonjudgmental sounding boards.

She has even traveled as far as Dallas to meet fellow group members in person.

&uot;They’ve all been through this before,&uot; said Squyres, who now supports newer group members. &uot;They’re like a family who knows where you’re at.&uot;

Not that Squyres has much time to log in.

She averages 50-plus hours a week working and 200 or more miles traveling as part of her job with Crispy Crunchy Foods.

The company provides a full line of chicken and fixins for restaurants and convenience stores in Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.

Squyres’ job during her four years with the company has been to set up its line of foods in new stores and to return periodically to see if the stores have any questions or concerns.

&uot;You’ve got to be a people person to do this job,&uot; she said. &uot;When I go into a store and the people I trained are still working there, they’ll come hug me and say, Š ‘There’s the chicken lady.’&uot;

Striking out on her own, holding down a busy job and reaching out to others in her same situation has made life busy for Squyres. But now, she said, she finally feels comfortable in her own skin.

&uot;I’m beginning to find out who I am,&uot; she said, &uot;and I’m finding out that I like who I am.&uot;