[Tink]

{{{Janet}}} My prayers are with you.

I know it's all too true that the older we get the more people we lose around us. The alternative of course is that we ourselves die instead, and that doesn't sound any better!

It's always hard to know how to approcah someone who's seriously ill, but just offering them to call if they need to talk, and telling them you're praying for them can make a lot of difference.

I had a heart attack a few years ago, and it was quite an eye opener for me in that area. It didn't have to be anything profound that people said... it was just the caring and fact that they let me know I had them praying for me that meant the most to me.

For example: Greg and I have always had a housefull of "extra kids". Most were teens that many looked down on because they'd been in trouble, had a wild streak, and so on. When I was in CCU eleven of my "extra kids" came to the hospital an hr away to visit me. It was funny! The nurse asked if they were immediate family and of course they all claimed to be my children (or they'd not have been allowed in). The nurse didn't believe them, so came and asked me how many kids I have. I could see them all waving and bouncing around by the nurses station, so told her "IF they admit to being mine they are." So they all got in to see me.

None of them had anything to give but their love, but that is one of my best memories of that time. Just the fact that they cared enough to organize a way to travel to give their support and check up on me really lifted my spirits.

I'm sure that's the same affect your concern would have on your neighbor. 5 minutes of your time and an "I care" can mean so much. You're such a warm and caring person; just let that show and it's bound to help.