G'day there PAUL1405...

Congratulations on the birth, and potential birth's that will add to your already large family! The inevitability of living, is of course death. But the birth of a new addition to a family, has the potential to remove much of that dark gloom, that a sudden death can spread over a family. I can only hope this has been the case with yours?

Dear David F.,

Thank You for your kind words.

I think that people who disagree on issues often have
much more common ground that it appears. For example
people who argue passionately about political issues with
one another usually share concern about the welfare of
their society and the future of the nation.

Of course we should be able to argue about politics
without getting mad at one another. Avoiding attacks is
a basic aspect of best practices in political discourse.
I've still got a lot to learn in that department. And
you've been a great role model on this forum.

Dear Paul1405,

I'm so glad that everything has gone so beautifully
for your family. I have a three year old grand-daughter
who's the joy of our lives. She's a very stubborn little
girl (wonder where she gets that from?). She was also
a C-section birth. I know what you mean about families
getting together. We've recently had a death in the family.
My daughter-in-law's father passed away. He's a farmer from
country NSW - and the entire families have rallied round.
He was a wonderful man with a big heart and loved by so many
people both by our families and his community. He made a
difference to people's lives.

Wishing you and yours All The Best.

Thanks runner and o sung wu. Runner no fake news, all dinky di genuine news here, baby's name is Kyha, made from the letters of the mums brother, his 4 kids names, very inventive I thought. With a Maori middle name

o sung wu, the first cousin we lost in NZ was only 57, heart attack in his sleep. Don't think I'm making this up, he was actually an Anglican Minister, and one hell of a nice bloke, about 2000 at his tangi, that is a lot, see runner I don't hate Christians. With such a big whanau, "T" estimates about 5,000 in her extended family, births and deaths are a common occurrence. Sometimes its close, sometimes its far, but they are all family.

PAUL1405...

Paul, 57 is far too young to go, in this world of medical science and good food choices. Still I guess we've got no say on our own longevity, other than to try to live a healthy lifestyle? Even then, we can't control everything in our lives. In my case of got age related dementia, approaching in leaps 'n bounds. Notwithstanding I regularly eat my morning Wheaties in order to stay 'regular', healthy 'n wise. The latter (wise) has mysteriously escaped me for some inexplicable reason?

Some years ago, I attended a sudden death outside a Shopping strip. On arrival, I was confronted with this 'stick thin' male about 35 - 40 yoa, clad in very expensive runners, and just as expensive, athletic shorts and singlet. During the autopsy the Pathologist (who I knew quite well) suddenly muttered 'I'm buggered if I know', meaning he couldn't (immediately) determine the COD.

He continued to probe the cardiac muscle, until he found a small tear in one of the ventricles, thus allowing the blood to escape in small amounts. That didn't really matter when walking, but the additional load he placed on his heart while jogging, was sufficient to cause a myocardial infarction, and therefore his demise. His NOK was utterly devastated and continued to ask why, why - he jogged daily, ate well, tried to keep his stress in check, etc. Believe me I had no answers for her!

thanks Paul apologies for cheap shot. Children and especially grandchildren are a very welcome break from what can be a toxic world at times. Personally I would not of dream't that grandchildren could bring such joy.