Blessings to count, losses to measure.

Byline: Rich Brooks

So, here goes: I'm putting the positive stuff first, since that sustains me.

* I am here. This is foremost for me, preceding all else. And I'm not talking about being in my family room in Nokomis.

I'm talking about that simple act of respiration known as life. And I say that I am here as opposed to being in either of those places defined by our Judeo-Christian heritage as existing after life.

Bear in mind that what I consider life may not be everyone's definition of living.

I use a ventilator to breathe. And I take nourishment through a tube connected to my stomach. I use an electric wheelchair to get around …