Dear Fellow Tater Planters: When you talk to your friends, talk to them like this is the last time you will ever speak to them. It may be the last time. --Observation of DMH Friendships are in a constant state of decline and must be maintained if they are to last. --Observation of DMH He don't plant tatters, he don't plant cotton, and them's that plants em are soon forgotten, but Old Man River just keeps rolling along. --Lyrics from Old Man River,Show Boat Those were the days my friend We thought they'd never end We'd sing and dance forever and a day We'd live the life we choose We'd fight and never lose For we were young and sure to have our way . . . Through the door there came familiar laughter I saw your face and heard you call my name Oh my friend we're older but no wiser For in our hearts the dreams are still the same . . . From the wonderful tune, Those Were the Days by Mary Hopkin On October 26, 2005, my mortality was in sharp focus. I suffered a TIA or stroke. I had to pull the car over to the curb and, as I sat there, I reviewed my life. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience because there was nothing of significance that I had not done. I thought, This is a good day to die, let it happen. Three days after I got out of the hospital, it scared the bejesus out of me. I thought, Damn! You nearly cashed in your chips and you don't have any grandchildren and you have never climbed the north slope of Everest in the winter (the north slope is easy in the summer). I then vowed to encourage my children to procreate and to make a concerted effort to climb Everest in February, 2006. Please join me in this quest. There is more to life than work and grief. It is a joyful experience and every moment should be savored. Humbly yours, Donald M. Heavrin Your Servant of Truth in the Garden of Life Back To Menu |