OT: An old friend is leaving: Courage under fire.

John hadn't responded to the last couple of emails. I figured the worst.

This arrived today. It is a gift.


Thanx fer the note!!~yea..pain is under pretty good control most of the time..thats the one thing I am really fortunate about..is that I got a doc that will mostely give me anything I want..tho the insurance company isnt to happy I,ll bet<smielzz>..Heck..every month just my pain meds..and thats not counting alla the other crap I get every month..just the pain meds thmselves come to like 16,G,s a month..soooo..helps the ol pain quite a bit..my doc and I had a very frank discussion when I was first diagnosed as terminal..where I told him that the aint much use havin quantity of life.if ya aint got no quality of life..so we get along real well..well..enuf of the snivvelin fer a bit..<<grinzz>..This wknd is my 30th high school reunion..soo..am all jazzed to see alla the old bunch..knows that a lot of peeps dont hardly care squat about theres..but..our class was always the real tight one..the one that everyone else wanted to be in..and we all got along..whether ya was a doper..or a cowboy..or a jock..it didnt matter none..so we all always look forward to getting to gether again..in fact..was kinda kewl I thought, and damn near brought a tear to my eye..but when they heard how bad off I was when they was plannin the reunion months ago..well, they took and moved it up a month or soo..so that I would have a better chance of making it to it..thought that was pretty dang neat of umm..Then..after we go to that tonite..Sat nite..well, thinks we are gonna take off on Sun afternoon and go up in the mntns. like 150 miles away from here or so..along this really nice river up in the forest that welike to camp at, and spend like a wek or so up there..if it dont bug me too much to drive the new motorhome that far, thinks that like next month will try and go to the ocean for a bit, and then if still feeling ok?/would like to try and go down to Vegas to that big new race track they built down there, and go to some races late in the fall?/will just have to kinda see?/And!!..kewl knife..like to play wih that kinda stuff muself..and..knows you get a big kick out of it..so..am glad ya found it!!~and, bet ya jazzed all like crazy waiting to see if they come up with those others they sposed to build!!~best of luck to ya there too pard~!~well,,need to go eat something..just hadnt been able to get this thing on line for 2 days..so thought since I did..would rite you before I fergot<smielz>wishing you the best as always..John



(He's up in Washington state somewhere.)


Kis
Enjoy every sandwich
 
Wed, 27 Oct 2004 15:27:40 -0400 (EDT)


Bill!..wes good to hear from ya..and at just the rite time..must me some karma there??<grinz>>just got back late last sat nite from our vaca..and damn..things just couldnt have went no better!!~Went from here in central Wash..down to Vegas on a pretty much straight run..and watched my brother in law race at that big new track they got down in Vegas..was a lot of fun doin that..and..besides..got the VIP booth up in the anouncers tower where it was air cond..which was nice on a 90+day..and the best part was..that Nellis AFB was rite accross the road..sothe kid and I spent more time watching alla the high perf. fightrs and stuff I thinks than we did watching the races..lol..we were just gonna stay in Vegas for like 2 days or so..and ended up staying theyre for 6..so had a really good time..one of the funest things we did while there..they gots a gun shop with an indoor range that ya can go to.and rent full auto weapons..and rock and and roll..and we went for it full bore!!lafffs..we rented a mp5 HK..figuring that that is what alla the swat and hostage resc. teams and such use..as being about the best..and then we got a tommy gun..for the old deal..and then got 8 sticks each .and traded off 1/2 way thru..so we both got to shoot both..was a blast..was just too damn hard to figure which to get tho..ya could get a minimi..belt fed sqad assault machines gun..or an ak47 or an m16 or a mp40 or a grease gun..or damn..well..they had umm all lol..was a trip fer sure!!~then we went and spent some time out there in theat area 57 area..with the lil Ali-inn..and dreamland and all..and was pretty cool out there..then went up and panned some gold on the American river in Cali where they discovered gold in 1849 at sutters mill..where my grandfauther used to keep a trailer yrs ago..then went and spent a week or so on the Oregon ocean..then on home..weas a very very good trip..just what was needed methinks<<smilezz>well..got a 1001 things to catch up on..just wanted to fire u off a quicky??lol..before I fergot//rite when ya get time..and thanks fer thepic and all..wishing u the best as always pard..John

I wish I loved life as much as John.
 
The world needs a lot more people like John. Think how happy we could be if we just learned to love the little things. nothing monumental. Nothing to measure ourselves by or others with which to compare our successes or failures. Just to breath it all in and love what we have. I need to work on doing that more often. Quietly profound and a good pick-me-up for a busy headachy day. Thanks, Kis.

Jake
 
You're doing OK yourself, Kis, methinks. Thanks for sharing the letter. Sounds like a great guy.
 
I've started signing personal emails I send to those I love, "Love and Blessings."

As mentioned say it while you're able and spend quality time if you can.

Good stuff and thanks.
 
Some people know how to live well.
Some people know how to die well.
Some people don't know how to do either well.

Some rare people
know how to do both well.

Maybe not in terms of words & philosophy,
but like learning to walk or ride a bike.

I've still got way many bumps & bruises.

Prayers.

~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
<>call me 'Dean' :)-FYI-FWIW-IIRC-JMO-M2C-YMMV-TIA-YW-GL-HH-HBD-IBSCUTWS-TWotBGUaDUaDUaD
<> Tips <> Baha'i Prayers Links--A--T--H--D
 
When I was studying social work at the U, they had us take classes in death and dying.

It got us to think of how to handle ourselves around terminal/hospice patients.

No way did it occur to us in our early/mid twenties that those we had with us for but a short time had much to teach us not just about them, but lessons we should have used and applyed to our own personal lives.

Americans give some but only lip service to the wisdom available from some of the elderly. As Mark Twain observed: "The immediate prospect of bewing hanged concentrates the mind wonderfully!"
 
I read the subject material on Death and Dying as an undergraduate in Psych, and then again as a Psych Nurse.

Since then, I've had to help several with the death of intimates. And myself too.

In several subtle ways, I've begun to prepare my sons for my own passing.



munk
 
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