I am so sorry for your loss. I am glad to see you back.
RhondaM

I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your brother. Please accept my
condolences for yourself and your family. You are in my thoughts and
prayers.
    Rose   @}>->--
    Being educated means that rather than fearing the unknown, one seeks to understand it. RB

    Please remove "Ima" to reply.

Paul,

You and your family are in our thoughts and prayers at this time. We feel
your loss and hope your healing starts from today and goes on till you can
remember the good times without feeling so bad about it.

Hi Paul.  Our family has been through both the "sudden death" and the
"prolonged death".  I think they invoke different responses.  My sister was
hit and killed by a racing motorcycle when she was 40 years old, when
crossing the street after leaving her 2 sons off at their soccer practice.
The emotions were sudden shock, and total numbness and the body just seems
to do what it has to do, while the mind just follows along.  To me, sudden
death is the worse.

However, my husband experienced his father dying suddenly and his mother
hanging on with both cancer and Alzheimers, bedfast and unable to
communicate.  He said that was harder for him, because his mother was an
educated, pleasant woman who taught school for many years, and to see her so
depleted really hurt him.  Yet, in a prolonged death, one has more of a
chance to say goodbye and get things in order.  I'm rambling here, but just
want to tell you I understand what all of you are going through.  Nanny