Richard Van Sloten

You lie awake at night worrying about your problems and how you will deal with them. In the morning, you pick up the newspaper and read the story of Richard Van Sloten (April 20). Van Sloten is rapidly dying of an inoperable brain tumor. At the same time he is mourning the death of his wife, who died recently of breast cancer and trying to say final goodbyes to his three precious daughters.

You wonder why it takes a story like this to make you appreciate your blessings. You wonder why some people are asked to endure the unbearable. And the only thing you know for certain is that some questions have no answers.

PEGGY JO BANNING

Pacific Palisades