Needing some prayers from anyone who can spare some.

1. Mom is having her right knee replaced. Mentally she is scared. I can't say I blame her for that at all. Trying to get her to focus on the fact that she'll feel better once it's done. She's hanging in there, but has been through so much since last June (diagnosis of breast cancer, lumpectomy followed by radiatin therapy) and then she had bilateral rotator cuff tears . . . PAINFUL!

2. Yesterday got the news that an Aunt Mary died . . . my Mother's oldest brother Bob's wife. She had Alzheimers and it was "the long good-bye" indeed.

She was a very spirited person . . . dramatic. And that was her passion. My Aunt taught theater in High School. I got hooked into loving theater succumbing to her influence. I thanked her for that many times over, because it enriched my life.

Probably my favorite memory of my Aunt Mary was co-chaperoning a bunch of 18 giggly high-school Jrs. and Srs. on a trip to London. We saw 7 plays in 7 days. What fun that was! I was 21 @ the time and let me tell you, it definitely took both of us to "rein in" those girls, but much to their credit, they DID listen. Mostly. I learned so much about theater from my Aunt on that trip. We were lucky enough to get box seats to a play called "The Constant Wife" starting Ingrid Bergman!

I know the loss of my Aunt is going to be very difficult for my Uncle. They have been inseparable for 60 years. My prayers for him.

You know, things always happen in life bringing things full circle in one way or another. There is no good time to have surgery, no gooe time to lose a person you love. There is no control over those situations. It boils down to learning how to deal with them, hopefully in a positive way.

Always treasure those you love. Tell them you love them. Don't let it be assumed.

It's been a month of really learning the meaning of "letting go" for me with DS. He is now in the 2nd stage of boot camp. Earning more priviledges, but way more is expected of them to earn priviledges. Much to his credit, John is reall doing what it takes to make this work. Much like we ALL have to do in life. In the good or bad times, we still have to make things WORK.

Not hearing from him, except for letters, has been very difficult, but I can tell you I treasure each and every letter. As parents, you always wonder if you did a good enough job, did they learn the lessons you were trying to teach them (teens have an uncanny knack of being able to hide the fact that they've heard ANYTHING we've said, but from reading my son's letters, he did indeed hear . . . almost every word! So, the lesson in THIS situation is, never give up! That applies to our lives in general, too, of course. Never give up.