ours is not the first community to have discovered, perhaps to our surprise, that we are mortal. as children we see our heroes afflicted by mortality; then as adults, it is we ourselves who must stare into finality.

we have been blessed by technology, by the human ambition to continue in the face of illnesses and other situations that would have meant certain death only a few generations ago. yet still the emotional comfort, the true healing, requires a touch, a voice, human presence and community.

todd's community is strong, our love, trust and respect lying quiescent yet aware for months or years between blossomings, like a sleeping cat who will suddenly pounce.

(I wrote this a few months ago, while still reeling from the discovery that one of my best friends has leukemia. He's okay -- it is a relatively minor easily treated form of leukemia -- but I wanted to save & share the words. It sounds like a eulogy; I hope I don't have to finish this any time soon.)