Who You Are -- Page 2

Picking up where we left off...

#11 -- Donna H. Donna is a member of my class at the Meadville School. She also hired me in March of last year to perform at an after-school program called "Two Doors" in Rochester -- which was a lot of fun and enabled Deb and me to spend considerable time chatting and dining with Donna. Altogether was a wonderful trip. No one in our class, I think, focuses so much on the well-being and happiness of our classmates as Donna does.

#12 -- Donna P. This Donna is another member of my Meadville class. Donna has a razor-sharp wit and a keen sense of humor -- both of which she uses in the gentlest way -- making her a great deal of fun to be around. When she gets enthusiastic about something (which happens fairly frequently), it radiates from her head to her toes. If I could adopt her as a sister, I would seriously consider doing so.

#13 -- Dottie. Dottie is the science teacher at West Chester Friends School -- whose gym we borrow for our juggling practices. Since I've been a member of the WC Friends School Board for several years, I've had the great pleasure of watching her teach her classes from time to time. And I keep coming away with the same reaction: "Darn! Why did I never have a science teacher like her? And aren't her students incredibly fortunate?" When I start wondering about why I'm on School Board, with its various committee meetings, etc., I think of Dottie. Oh yeah, that's why I'm involved. To support Dottie -- and the rest of the faculty.

#14 -- Eileen. Eileen was Deb's roommate back at Swarthmore ever-so-long ago, and the two of them have kept close ever since. She is also married to one of my best friends from college (more on him later), and the two of them hatched a plot to get Deb and me together. Ever-so-long ago. And I don't think I've ever really thanked the two of them enough for being so clever. Eileen is one of the few Genuine Scholars I know, and carries her very own Ivory Tower around with her in a knapsack.

#15 -- Ellen. Ellen is a charter member of the Turks Head Jugglers -- and the motivating force behind the group's initial formation. (She had been a student in one of my juggling classes. As the class was ending , and asked me "Okay, now I can juggle three balls. What's next?" She didn't like the answers I gave her, but within six months, we had a juggling club up and running in beautiful downtown West Chester.) Ellen is very much a "Tell-it-like-it-is" kind of person, with a ready smile and laugh. Her contributions to the club -- and to the blog! -- are deeply appreciated.

#16 -- Emily S. Emily is our neice. She is also a Nurse Practitioner at Johns Hopkins with a most impressive resume. During the early stages of my diagnosis and treatment, it just so happened that she was doing clinical work with cancer patients at Hopkins -- and it was reassuring to have a resource like her available for insights as to what I should and should not be doing.

#17 -- Gwenn. We first met Gwenn when she started attending our Quaker Meeting, maybe 10 years ago. She was doing graphic design work back then, and she is responsible for the the Turks Head Jugglers logo, which features the Chester County Courthouse (where we held our first practice sessions) with an overlay of three juggling clubs arrayed like a propeller. Click here: http://www.turksheadjugglers.com/ to see. Very snazzy -- and we still use that design for our website, business cards, and T-shirts. Gwenn is now a District Judge locally, doing some wonderfully creative and thoughtful work.

#18 -- Hal. Hal is the only other male in our Meadville class -- and someone I deeply appreciate. If you know the word "mensch," then you have a good idea of the kind of person he is. If you don't know the word "mensch," I suggest you look it up. Integrity. Strength. Compassion. Yup, that's him. He and I enjoy the frienship and community of the 10-or-so women members of our class -- but each of us is grateful to have another guy nearby as well...

#19 -- Jan & Art. Jan and Art are a wonderful pair of people we first met when they started coming to our Quaker Meeting. Around the same time as Gwenn, come to think of it. They are firmly committed to bringing their Quaker ideals into the real world. Living their faith.

#20 -- Joan Eustice Sherman. Joan is a member of my high-school class and has worked hard to make our recent reunion a success. Since she and I were never that communicative back then or any time since, I'm assuming that she somehow picked up on the blog in her efforts to reconnect with everyone in the class. So, thank you Joan!

If you're interested in getting in touch with any of these folks, please drop me an e-mail at GotaJugl@msn.com and I will forward your message on to the appropriate party.

The next 10 Commenters will be described shortly... Stay tuned!