Hi everyone,

I realize the blog posts and new YouTube videos have been infrequent lately, and the promised TBA website update launch date was missed.

I wanted to let you know what was going on here, now that I'm ready to talk about it.

My very dear friend and mother, Norma Gail, passed away recently.

When I say "dear friend", I truly mean it.   Mom was a bundle of fun to be around and had a tight circle of friends who loved her deeply, and until very recently was a highly independent 78-year-old who.....

.... still did her own shopping, banking, errands, etc.  

....  took online courses in Roman history, among many other subjects!  

....  read at least 5 books a week

..... ran a profitable online business on eBay in her 60s and early 70s

....  quite capable of troubleshooting her own computer and Direct TV problems, eventually putting me out of that job entirely ; ) 

She was just one hell of a lot of fun to be around.

She was very open about her desire to go quickly when it was her time, and people on her side of the family tend to hang on a LONG time after an illness or event that would have long ended anyone else's life.   She had no fear of death; what she feared was losing her independence and being unable to read, learn, and talk.

She had been diagnosed with a serious heart valve issue about a year ago, and rather than risk a stroke during what was considered very risky surgery, she decided to ride it out.  She'd slow down once in a while from the valve problem, but overall had a great final year of life.

For the last couple of years, I've taken Wednesday off to visit her. (She still lived, totally independent, in the house I grew up in.)   We'd just hang out like two old friends and solve the problems of the world while watching whatever she had taped for us to watch that week, which was anything from Ken Burns' The War to Bravo's Million Dollar Listing.


It was always a little odd leaving my childhood home at the end of a visit, especially on a spring or summer night.

For just a moment, I'd be 10 years old again, looking at where the school bus would stop to pick me up and where the community basketball court was.

And when I'd get in my car and look back at the house, I'd always give thanks for another great visit, and then I'd say...

.... "If that's the last time we spend together, it sure was fun."

And then one week, it was the last time.



I'm very grateful that Mom passed quickly.  She suffered a stroke on a Monday and passed later that same week, in hospice care.  

So all at once, I had lost my mother, a very dear friend, and my second parent.

I needed some time to absorb that. It was like being hit with massive body blows all at once, and from different directions. 

At different times, I thought the mourning was over, and then some little thing would bring it back.  For obvious reasons, Wednesdays have been tough.

But life rolls on.

Any time during that week that there was a tough decision to be made regarding her care, or a tough moment for any reason, I just imagined what Mom would say if she could sit up and talk for 30 seconds.  

And right now, she'd say "Son, it's time to get back to work!"

(Any sentence that started with "son" was serious stuff.) 

One fast thing I'd like to ask of you:

If you have a will, or are planning to write one, make sure it's a living will that spells out your desire (or lack of same) for extraordinary lifesaving techniques in case you can't speak for yourself.   It truly makes things a lot easier for everyone involved.

Thanks for reading and listening, and I'll see you here on Tuesday!

Chris B.