Finding my bearings

by Elouise

Diane, Elouise, Ruth and Judy

Dear Friends,

Thank you for your visits, prayers, and kind comments this past week. My sister Ruth’s death came very quickly at the end. So quickly that I didn’t have a chance to talk with her on the phone before she died.

One of my biggest sorrows is that our Renich families and relatives have been spread out all over the world, making it difficult to bond with each other in person. Sometimes Ruth and I talked on the phone and via email. During the last several years most of our correspondence was about health issues. Our bodily infirmities just kept piling on, one after another.

That Ruth would die before I did was never on the agenda. The same was true for Diane who died of ALS in February 2006. Now there are two of us–my youngest sister and I. I’m grateful for the time and privilege of getting to know her. She’s 9 1/2 years younger than I.

Thank you for stopping by and leaving notes. Thank you for your kindness and your prayers. Especially now, as we creep along one day at a time, watching and wondering how much longer we have on this planet.

Everything hasn’t been awful. As I reported several posts ago, I’ve been diagnosed with hypokalemia–a rarity among patients not in hospitals, old folks’ homes, or hospice care. My food intake (good food, no junk!) has improved dramatically, now that I have more options. And I’m able to get out and do some serious walking in spite of peripheral neuropathy in my feet. I’m also sleeping better, though tears and sadness still overwhelm me from time to time.

Praying you’re finding ways to honor your family, your friends, and yourself during these troubling times.

Elouise

© Elouise Renich Fraser, 8 July 2023
Photo taken by JERenich, probably at Ben Lippen Conference facilities in 1953