In the past few years I have had the experience of seeing three of my dear friends lose one of their parents. The first was my next door neighbor Lizzi Whitehead, Calvin Whitehead's mom who suffered from heart problems. The second was Michele Pereira, Melissa Peterson's mom, who died July 18, 2008 in a very sad accident. The third was Dan Bishop, Shannon Adams' dad was passed away earlier today following a very sudden and serious health condition. Although I have been trained as a nurse to understand the grieving cycle, and taught how to be "helpful "in these situations it is different to experiencing death in the role of a health professional vs. a friend who knew and loved those who have died. I still don't know what to do to help my friends through these difficult times. Shannon, as the one who has most recently lost you loving dad, know that we are thinking about and praying for you and your family.