As some of you may know, Dad flew out to Salt Lake City on Dec. 1 to participate in a medical research trial in hopes of delaying his death from the stage IV esophageal cancer that had spread to his lungs, brain and liver. Unfortunately, once he arrived in Utah, he became too weak to participate in the trial or to fly back home to Maryland. When Dad started becoming too weak to talk, Carey and I made arrangements to fly out. Yesterday morning, January 5, at about 4:44 (MT), Dad drifted peacefully away with Carey and me by his side to the sounds of Frank Sinatra ("My Way" and "Night and Day") and Barbara Streisand ("I've Dreamed of You"). Join me as I hold my father in the Light and wish him well on his next journey because I do believe that "life is eternal, love is immortal and death is only a horizon." We arrived in Salt Lake mid-day on January 1st and we were able to spend many hours with him. He wasn't able to talk much and he "slept" most of the days but he certainly knew we were there and we had several brief conversations. When we arrived, Carey asked him if he was surprised to see us and he immediately quipped, "I'm no dummy. It was a question of when, not if." As we sat in his room with our two half-sisters, he said to the nurse, "Look at those girls," and he turned slightly toward us and said, "You can do anything." During our last days together, he saw pictures of Carey's new puppy, Rigby, that he hadn't met. He saw pictures of Aslan and Eowyn in their "Happy New Year" regalia. He rolled his eyes, he laughed, he smiled, he shushed us and he even practiced his ASL with "I love you." He relayed messages in the form of nods and waves as we told him about all the friends and family that were sending love and well wishes his way. He did it his way ... like no one else I've ever known ... and he never conceded. I take comfort knowing that many friends and family are welcoming him into their arms. We hope to have a gathering to celebrate his life with those he loved because after all, his relationships were treasured above all. ~ Alcora N. Walden