The Readers' Digest Version

Before I begin, thank you to everyone who expressed their kind wishes via the comments or via e-mail. You can't begin to know how much they meant.

I have started this post many times over the past week or so. I've been trying to figure out how to tell the story of what's gone on for the past weeks and months and years that has brought me and my wife to near the point of exhaustion; physically and mentally. But rather than go through the whole story - and it would take several posts - I thought I'd give you the short version and let the details flesh themselves out in your minds.

So... how to do this...

A list:

An eating disorder. The longest-lasting problem. One that nearly killed my daughter. At least twice. She is doing wonderfully now. At times I "walk on egg-shells" fearing a relapse. But she is nearly her old, wonderful, silly, incredibly smart self.

Liver cancer. My father-in-law was diagnosed about a year and half ago. I posted about his decline and death just after Christmas.

Breast cancer. My mother was diagnosed last year. The resulting operation has left her with permanent lymph-edema. Fortunately, it seems that will be the worst of it.

Uterine Fibroid Cysts. My sister was diagnosed last year. She is currently undergoing a new procedure that seems to be working well. If only she were working as hard to take care of herself...

Breast cancer. Again. A wonderful friend at work was diagnosed last year and appears to - thankfully - be fully recovered.

Alcoholism. My mother-in-law has had a long-standing problem which her husband was lovingly and tragically enabling until the very end. This has nearly driven my wonderfully sensitive wife over the edge. Which has nearly done the same to me. This past weekend we were able to get her checked into a resident rehabilitation program. We're keeping our fingers crossed...

Work Problems. All of the above has, I think inevitably, caused me to have some problems doing my work well. Now I'm under extra scrutiny at work. I'm making my way through their archaic and somewhat punitive process pretty well. But of course, there are things in that list above that still weigh heavily on my head and my heart.

Hard to believe that's the short version, isn't it? But there you have it. The whole list of things that have occupied me over the past couple of years and in the past several months have occupied me to the point of distraction. I'm glad that there are still those of you out there that come by to read what little I can get posted. I hope, perhaps soon, that things will begin to settle down and I can get back to a more normal life.

Perhaps soon.

Thank you again for all your kind wishes. I'm still here, still interested in all the things that go on in our wonderful, horrible world. I'm just a little distracted.