I've been away from LCT for the most part.

My mother is gravely ill in the hospital and I spend most days with her. The commute from my home to there is an hour each way. By the time I return home I'm just too tired to do much web surfing.

During all of this time there have been so much discussion of the passing of Terri Shiavo and now the Pope. When my Mom was admitted to the hospital she was asked about her advance directive. She was clear in her wishes and as one of her children, I am very grateful to her for that. It also made me mindful to talk with my daughter about my living will if I were to become unable to express my wishes.

All of this may sound a bit gloomy and I admit I am not my usual upbeat self. My mother is 80 and has had a good life. She seems prepared to go and I have accepted that, but with some luck she has the possibilty to recover. The really hard thing to accept is that she may not want that. The will to live is a powerful thing, but something that we each must generate for ourselves.

At any rate, I'm sorry to carry on so much. I just wanted to stop by and let you know I'm away right now, but hope to be back sometime soon. I still look for Marcie's World Cruise reports...sometimes it's just good to fantisize about good things!