1996 was the year you left us, on a cold December day.  I remember mom refused to proceed with our usual, traditional celebration of making Tamales and Atole.  She was very sad to see you in bed, unable to speak, eat, or move.  You had been diagnosed with Renal CA one month before your death, and prior to that, your former Dr. kept saying you had PUD.  Finally, I slept over mom & dad's house one day and being a light sleeper, I saw dad dart to the rest room in the middle of the night, in his shorts.  He looked so thin, I just had to ask my mom the next morning.  "He's been seeing blood in his urine and doesn't have good appetite and has been losing weight but he told me not to tell you."  I got on the phone and made an appt. with an excellent physician who diagnosed and mentioned how much time my dad had; it was our warning to get ready for his demise.  That was the saddest Xmas ever, but I knew dad liked celebrating, so I tried cheering people up and we finally made some tamales and stole.  Dad passed  on the 27th? and I figured this would happen, since he loved cold weather. Twenty  years later mom joined him in heaven.  Dad was such a great human being and he was always helping people with whatever he knew how to do. He was an intellectual; he could take a book, read it upside down and learn how to wire a circuit board. He loved reading at night, and before turning the lights off, he'd make the sign of the cross!  RIP dad; we didn't get along well, but we have our reasons, but we forgave each other prior to your demise!  Take good care of mom!