For my family: I got a letter from my sister Karen this week. She has no tech – no e-mail, no internet, etc., so it’s a bit of a struggle to reach her, but I do. We write each other, and I recently sent her a photo frame containing thousands of family photos, both recent and those I scanned from the old photo albums my mom and dad accumulated over the years. She enjoyed it a great deal. She’s my oldest sibling, so she’s getting up there in years and having health issues, which she explains a little in her letter. I have transcribed it below, from her writing:

Dear Jimmy & Family,

I need to tell you what’s going on. I have COPD Emphysema and a fracture in my lower back – a vertebrae that’s not enough now. I have to go for a biopsy on my boob, I’m on a nebulizer and oxygen, and now I’m having a huge problem with my roommate. She has alcohol dimentia and sclerosis of the liver. I can’t go into details, but it’s bad.

I’m living in this big old house alone. But I do have my two “children” here. Their names are Snappy and Maggie Mae. I love them tremendously. They’re all I have. I’ll be your hug… I stopped working on it for awhile but I’m getting back into it. I’ll send that and mom’s yearbook ASAP.

I love the picture album you sent me, it’s so cool. I look at it almost every night before I go to sleep. THANK YOU so very much!!

I’ve got to go for now. I love you so much. I’m so happy that life turned out so good for you – you deserve it!

Write soon. I love hearing from you.

Always,

Karen

I’ll be writing her back very soon. I’m pretty concerned with her health, but she’s in Florida, which makes it a bit difficult to visit. But there you have it. It was pretty personal to post on the web, but in this little corner where only family and friends (and a few web wanderers) visit, I figured it’d be ok.