I've been thinking of you today, Pete, on your last day of work. What you write about losing control resonates with me. You are very articulate, and I found myself saying, "Yes!" to all you wrote about your life now. Thanks for being so open. It's hard to have to rely on your spouse when you're a "doer" in the fibre of your being. Along with the other posters, I too encourage you to write and finish your book. I believe that though we feel we're just "bones and organs" we still have a purpose and can express ourselves in other meaningful ways. Unlike others, I prefer not to go back to my place of work; it's too painful. Colleagues are quite eager to visit me, and though I enjoy the visits, they're not always easy. After all, they're the living, and I'm the dying. Yet amid the painful realities of our situations, the losses, the physical and emotional, psychological pain, I keep trying to rise above through prayer. My pastor told me to not let ALS define me because I am not an ALS person, but Charlene. What you and I face each day brings the best out in us for our loved ones: the courage to continue loving, giving, expressing who we are, sharing and growing in inner beauty and strength. ALS can rob us of everything, but cannot steal our soul, the essence of who we are.