Who You Are -- Page 5

Here's the final set of names of people who have taken the time and care to Comment on this blog:

#41 -- Sharon Smith. Sharon is a member of my Quaker Meeting, a yoga instructor, and a (fairly) new mommy. Some of you may recall that -- shortly after one of my surgeries -- Sharon came up with the lovely image of a bunch of blood cells wearing tiny little hard hats urging each other on to help Randy heal as quickly as possible. (Among other things, these cells were discussing getting overtime pay!) That may sound silly to you, but it was a considerable help to me as I "imaged" these cells in my neck working like crazy for my benefit.

#42 -- Sue the First. This Sue is the spouse of Ron W, who was written up on Page 4 of this series of postings. Sue is a delightful lady who has been an active gardener for a long long time -- and has been known to eat the flowers that she grows. Deb and I recall an impromptu lecture on the relative merits of eating Flower "A "as opposed to Flower "B." Perfectly charming. Sue's Comments on the blog have always been wonderfully upbeat and enthusiastic. And it's been easy to imagine Sue saying exactly what she was posting. It was like having Sue here to give me a much-needed boost when things were rocky...

#43 -- Sue the Second. This Sue is a classmate in my Meadville school. In addition to her full-time job at Channellock (one of Americas premiere tool-making companies), Sue runs a wildlife rehabilitation center just outside the Meadville city limits. Among a variety of critters that owe their continued existence in the wild to Sue and her cohorts, Sue nursed five Bald Eagles back to health last year. (I may have that wrong -- it might have been six...). And since making a mistake with any of them during their rehab could result in serious injury -- or even death -- to her, Sue keeps plugging along. You get the feeling that Sue has a special relationship to all that is wild and natural in the world. And that the Universe smiles on her activities and blesses them.

#44 -- Woodie. Woodie is my dentist. He takes an active and very personal interest in the well being of his patients and minimizes any and all of the concerns that folks often have about visiting their dentist. I can't imagine being frightened of what Woodie has in mind for you... The radiation treatment I underwent changed the way in which my teeth are held in my jaws. And the change means that removal of any of them could start a chain reaction that would require the removal of a lot of them. So I had to get a letter from Woodie confirming that my teeth were in good shape and would likely last me the rest of my life. (If there were any question about any of my teeth, they should have been removed prior to the radiation treatment.) Woodie did a lot more than just X-ray the teeth and pronounce them to be okay. He told me: "Randy, I've been examining your teeth now for several decades. And I know they will be fine." And then he took the X-rays. Boy, did that make me feel better -- and more confident as I started into the chemo and radiation therapies!

#45 -- Zara. Zara is our tenant -- living on the third floor of our house. When we purchased the house, we were already living in the apartment on the third floor. So when we moved down to the first two floors, it opened up the third-floor apartment for rental. We had it repainted and put in new carpeting and started looking for a tenant. And Zara, who had been coming to our Quaker Meeting for some time, was recommended to us to be that person. And so we offered the place to Zara, who accepted the offer. And all that took place ten years ago. And the place looks better now than when she moved in. Zara has been an excellent tenant, looking after the place when we're away and we are most fortunate to have her under our roof. Among other things, we've had the pleasure of watching her daughter -- a shy, giggly little girl ten years ago -- grow up into a very self-possessed and confident young lady.

#46 -- Zinc. Zinc has been another mainstay in my life for over 40 years. We were both students at Drexel and found each other's company on a Friday afternoon to be an excellent palliative for the vicissitudes of college life. Zinc taught me to play pool. He helped me buy my motorcycle -- and drove it home for me. When I was doing my Alternative Service as a Conscientious Objector during the Vietnam War, Zinc had me over for dinner 4 or 5 times a week. (I might have starved without his help!) When I was a Landed Immigrant in Canada -- considering becoming a Canadian citizen -- Zinc was my one Philadelphia buddy to drive up for a visit. When I was thinking about buying a boat, either fiberglass or wood, Zinc (a professional carpenter) told me: "Buy fiberglass." (I still have the boat!) Zinc's advice and guidance have always been sound -- and my life has gone considerably smoother because of him.

************************************************

Well sports fans, that wraps up the list. I may well have overlooked a name or two, and if you know of such an oversight, please bring it to my attention as quickly as possible. My e-mail address is GotaJugl@msn.com

I hope the information I've provided has assuaged your curiosity about who's who. If you're looking for more information, please let me know via the above e-mail address.

I plan on one more posting about these wonderful people -- and the experience of writing about them over the last two weeks. So thanks for staying tuned in -- and please continue to do so!