[With this update, my older brother nails it, all of our emotion, everything. Thank you to everyone for their prayers and thoughts during this difficult time. -Hurl] Two days ago, Mom was faced with a decision. She had been suffering with an acute bowel obstruction that was not going to resolve on its own. She was in severe pain, even with the morphine. She had a very depleted white blood cell count, she was feverish. They were getting ready to admit her to "hospice" Mom, in her ever strong manner, got out of her hospital bed and walked across the hallway to conference with her children, her nurse, her social worker and the surgeon whom could only be there via speaker phone, and decided to have surgery to bypass her intestinal blockage. Although the risk of not surviving the anesthesia was very real, the risk of not surviving the surgery even more real, and the continuing risk of not surviving an infection very immense, Mom said, "I may give out, but I won't give up!" So yesterday afternoon, with masses of family members, friends, grandchildren, and loved ones lined up in the hallway of the presurgery area waiting to give her words of encouragement, a PROFOUND twist of events came about. It was NOT any of us giving mom encouragement and strength, but MOM single handedly took over the reins of strength and words of encouragement and delivered to each and every one of us in serial fashion, the absolute resolve that only MOM has, which was that she was going to be ok, and that we all needed to believe her! I have never in my 41yrs seen a person, single handedly shape an entire crowd of people into such a strong belief of faith that everything would be ok for that day! Even though the road ahead is unknown, for now her suffering has abated, and she is, the morning after surgery already cracking jokes and delivering the strength, again to all of us. I am the most blessed man, to have her in my life, I could not contain my happiness this a.m. after seeing the "special gift" that mom has given me. I will ALWAYS focus on this powerful womans' gift to all of us regardless of anything else. Thanks Mom, for you give us all strenth, even though you are the one suffering! Love, Paul