"My grandfather was a painter. He died at age 88. He illustrated Robert Frost's first two books of poetry. And he was looking at me and he said Harry, there's two kinds of tired. There's good tired and there's bad tired. He said ironically enough, bad tired can be a day that you've won. But you've won other people's battles, you've lived other people's days, other people's agendas, other people's dreams and when it was all over, there was very little of you in there. And when you hit the hay at night, somehow you toss and turn, you don't settle easy. And he said, good tired, ironically enough, can be a day that you lost. But you only have to tell yourself, because you knew you fought your battles, you chased your dreams, you lived your days. And when you hit the hay at night, you settle easy, you sleep the sleep of the just and you can say take me away. He said, Harry, all my life I've wanted to be a painter and I've painted. God, I would have loved to be more successful, but I've painted and I've painted and I am good tired and they can take me away. Now, there is a process in your and my lives in the insecurity that we have about a prior life or an afterlife. God, I hope there is a God. If he does exist he has a rather weird sense of humor. But if there is a process that will allow us to live our days, that will allow us that degree of equanimity towards the end, looking at that black implacable wall of death, that will allow us that degree of peace, that degree of non-fear, I want in."

Harry Chapin (December 7, 1942-July 16, 1981)

May 2007 bring us all closer to our dreams and allow us that degree of peace and non-fear so sorely lacking in 2006.

Sandy