"I Was Lucky"

That was the subject of a recent email from John Kerry, reminding us that he was lucky in his fight against prostate cancer and encouraging support of cancer research. I am keeping that message so I have a daily reminder that I, too, was lucky. It is a gentle reminder as well when you hear of someone who has cancer that comes back, and loses the battle to survive -- as I did from a friend about a neighbor that I have never met. It always give you that twinge....and motivation to appreciate it all even more.
There is an artist that seems to capture all those feelings and thoughts in his art and words. I wept without knowing why when I first encountered Brian Andreas at an art fair in San Francisco in 1993. He can make you smile and cry at the same time, if that is even possible. I recently started getting his daily story from Storypeople.com. Needless to say,we have many of his prints, sculptures and books at our house and I have bought them as gifts for so many occasions.
Today's story, which I sent as a 30th Anniversary gift to a special friend, helps me value each day. It also enriches my feelings about my wonderful husband, as we look forward to new chapters and new adventures in our life together. Will it be beaches, comedy, baseball, farmers markets, art, food?The truth is, it doesn't matter as long as we are side-by-side.

This is the Brian Andreas print "Side-by-Side":
We sat side by side in the morning light & looked out at the future together.