Due to family matters, The O Word will not be on the air this morning. Please join me next week at 0700 Mountain Standard Time (’cause we don’t save daylight in the desert – that’s just daft).

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My sister, LeaAnn, passed away yesterday afternoon (10/1/2008) at about 2:15 pm.

I was able to see her, I was able to talk to her briefly, I was able to tell her that I loved her and that I would miss her. It’s still not enough.

Friday evening I got a cab out of dispatch kind of late – a little after 1900 hours, so I had it until about 0700 Saturday morning. I slept most of Saturday, and picked up the Saturday PM cab about 1630. I turned it in Sunday about 0430, went home, took a three hour nap, went to church, went back home, and laid back down about noon. At 1445, my cousin called.

About 25 years ago, my sister LeaAnn (who is seven years older than I am), fought breast cancer to a draw – she survived, but had a mastectomy. About 17 years ago she started an on-again, off-again battle with recurrence. Last April the cancer resurfaced, this time metastasized in her liver, brain, and bones. Friday was her “last” oncology appointment; they did not schedule any more after that.

My cousin (CT) had called to let me know that LeaAnn was at home, on oxygen and pain meds, and resting. I had not planned to go up to Flagstaff to see her before 1445 Sunday afternoon, but ended up going. TMBWitW and MEG stayed home; TMBWitW has month-end closing this week. MEG spent this morning at a friend’s house, and will be there tomorrow and Wednesday. I was at LeaAnn’s house by 1730 Sunday evening. Mom greeted me by looking up at my face (her vision is failing), down at my belly, back up at my face, poking me in the belly and said “Who’s this fat kid?” “Good to see you, too, Mom.”

Another of my sisters (LC) was there with her daughter (ME); I had just missed a niece (CY) and a brother (BK) by an hour or two (they left Flagstaff about the time I left Phoenix), another brother (RC) was still there with his wife (SC) and their daughter (ST), and LeaAnn’s husband (MH) and son (SH) were there. Mom, RC and his family left shortly after I got there. I went in and said hi to LeaAnn, and talked briefly – just long enough to realize that she was in and out of lucidity and the pain meds weren’t keeping her 100% free of pain yet.

I spent the night at her house. This morning LC and ME headed to Tucson to pick up a few things; LC is picking up my third sister, AW, at the airport tonight (flying in from Ohio) and then heading back to Tucson. They will be going back up to Flagstaff Tuesday morning, I will be catching a ride with them. ME is headed back to school and midterms and may rejoin the group later. My older brother, DC, lives in Salt Lake City and may not be able to get down here; he’s been out of work and eating up the savings for a few months now. LC and AW will be coming back through Phoenix late Wednesday evening, and will be dropping me off then. For those keeping track, I may not be active this week until Thursday’s Round Up and Update.

LeaAnn is a fighter. She beat cancer before, and she has not quit fighting. The treatments are not affecting the cancer anymore, but she is still fighting. Right now, cancer has the upper hand, but with God all things are possible. I’m not saying she will be healed, but I’m not saying she won’t. It is His will, not ours. After all the treatments, she looks so tiny.

This morning I talked to LeaAnn again before coming home. She asked what day it was, and I told her it was Monday, September 29, 2008. She said she needed to get up soon because she had to get to work tomorrow. Then she told me that if she said she was tired and needed a nap, it was because she was tired and needed a nap. She wanted to make sure of the date, because she thought it was Tuesday, sometime in June.

I said “No, it’s Monday, September 29.”

“Oh” she said. She seemed puzzled at the date.

I kissed her forehead. “I love you, LeaAnn.”

LeaAnn said, “I love you, too, Cary.”

I got to see my sister today.

Yes, very quiet indeed.

With Logan’s passing, even the house seems to be depressed. We are all working through the grief at our own pace, and we would like to thank everyone who has taken the time, either here or in e-mail, or by calling, to offer condolences and support.

I normally run a round-up on Thursdays, I don’t have the desire today. Well, that’s not quite accurate. I want to run the round-up, because my regular reads are so darned impressive with their entries, but just making this entry is kind of anti-climatic, in a weird sort of way.

SO – I will still be doing the show, but I may not be blogging as much in the near future. Of course, having said that, I will be inspired to write thirty five entries over the next three days, and overwhelm you all with the all-or-nothingness of my posting.

To those of you with whom I share editorial responsibilities, my normal output of outside articles (which, so far, has been zero) may be further reduced. That means you may all owe me an entry or two before this is all over.

I am, actually, deeply examining my blogging habits. Right now I am leaning toward allowing this to go full circle and go back to being a blog about the Cartter family, and relegating The O Word to page status. Prayers, good thoughts, whatever, would be appreciated.

I really do appreciate you all. Thank you for stopping by.

So – the snooze button got the mileage again today. That’s what I get for partying until the wee hours.

Yah, right. I was updating the Wisconsin Cartters page (reformatting the text of the book, so you can actually read it) and was in bed by 2230. Ish. For whatever reason, my body is in a state of needing something – can’t quite put the finger on it, but I’m sure it will come to me. Then I’ll be all over it and get fixed right up.

MEG woke up about 0615 (early for her) and her first words were “Good morning, Daddy. I love you so much!”

I wish.

Her first utterance of the day was “Stitch?” and right after her waffle she watched Lilo and Stitch and then went back to bed.

I’ve got some new pictures in the header rotation – with a big old THANK YOU to Richard who so graciously allowed me to borrow his sunsets.

BZ has a link to an article about the new citizenship test. I scored 100%, in a wonderful paroxysm of lucky guesses and basic knowledge. How did you do?

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Time, Inc. is a bunch of weasels, listen to The O Word on BlogTalkRadio, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!