Anna I can hardly type after reading Karen's poem. Karen that was beautiful. I too shall print it out. It is hard being a grown-up isn't it? Silly that I say that at my age, but yet the days when we were little are not so hard to recall. It is so easy to look back and remember when our moms and dads were robust and full of health and we could lean on them physically as well as emotionally and they dried all of our tears. Now as we grow older the tables turn and we find ourselves being the comforters, the ones who they turn to just as we did years ago.

My father-in-law died in March. He died of pulmonary edema after years of being bedridden from a stroke. His lungs were filling up with water, making it impossible for him to get enough air to breathe. He was given morphine for his last few days and we all sat around in a vigil. I can remember the night he passed away. We had all left around 9:00 PM and my mother-in-law called a little after 1:00 AM and, in tears, told us he was with the Lord. May it comfort you to know that at the end of your mother-in-law's struggle she will awake to a new morning with a body totally whole and in the presence of God. Please know that your whole family is in our prayers, and come here any time you need to talk. (((Hugs)))