Hi Frank,
Thanks for the extra input for the conditions contributing to the dust storms of the '30s. The development of machinery enabling the planting of greater acreage is certainly a significant element leading to the dust storms. And, of course, wheat was the leading cash crop, so most open fields were planted in wheat.
Prior to the development of the tractor and combines to harvest the wheat crop, its hard to imagine how much back -breaking work was involved in bringing the crop to market. My mother often talked about the mules my grandfather used to pull the plows, disks, and harrows, then the ripe wheat was first cut and tied into bundles by a machine called a binder; the bundles were then stacked into separate little tepee-shaped "shocks " in the field and, finally, the bundles were fed into a
"thrasher" which separated the wheat kernels from the stalks. There were "thrashing crews" of up to 15-18 men who followed the harvest season, moving north from Texas to the Dakotas, to pick up the wheat bundles and feed them into the thrasher. My mother's job was to bring lunch to the field, then afternoon coffee and, finally, supper at the end of the day for the entire crew.
At about the time of my high school years and continuing pretty much to the present time, the state governments began to limit the acreage that could be planted in wheat, encouraging farmers to either let the extra land lay fallow and/or plant in other crops such as sweet clover, which actually is a wonderful plant, providing great food for cattle and also returning nitrogen to the soil. Planting wheat in the same acreage year after year does deplete the soil of certain nutrients, such as nitrogen, which can be replenished with commercial fertilizer or by planting other crops , or simply permitting the land to lay fallow for one or more seasons. These restrictions had the two-fold purpose of holding down the possibility of dust storms, propping up the price of the wheat and re-enriching the soil.
Today, there is a new problem looming, caused by the desparate push to create ethanol for auto fuel : farmers are planting every available acreage in corn, which is now a higher cash crop than wheat. While corn formerly was primarily a food crop for cattle and pork, now farmers must pay a unrealisticly high price to feed farm animals corn supplements, causing a ripple effect in food prices for beef, pork and poultry prices at the grocery store. At the same time, the decrease in the wheat available also will cause wheat prices to rise, and less wheat available to ship to starving populations around the world.Its a sad day when food for animals and the human population is diverted to auto fuel.
Enough pontificating. Best to you. Bob.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
MY BOOK AND MY COMPUTER
FIRST, YOU ALL SHOULD KNOW I MISSED THE COMPUTER AGE IN SCHOOL AND FOR A LARGE PART OF MY CAREER AS A LAWYER PRACTICING PATENT AND TRADEMARK LAW. AS COMPUTERS SLOWLY BECAME A MORE PROMINENT PART OF OFFICE LIFE IN THE EARLY 1990s, OUR PRIMARY USE OF COMPUTERS BEGAN WITH WORD PROCESSING AND I LARGELY LEFT THE DETAILS OF COMPUTERS TO THE SECRETARIES, LIBRARIANS AND RESEARCH ASSISTANTS.
I SAY THIS TO LET YOU KNOW THAT I NOT ONLY HAD TO LEARN TO TYPE WITH MY EYE, I ALSO HAD TO LEARN THE BASICS OF COMPUTER WORD PROCESSING LINGO. I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT MY EYE RESPONSIVE COMPUTER CAN BE SUCCESSFULLY USED BY ANYONE WITH DIFFICULTY USING THEIR HANDS OR HAS NO SPEECH,. I CAN DRAFT, EDIT, SAVE AND RETRIEVE DOCUMENTS. I CAN EMAIL AND SURF THE INTERNET PRETTY MUCH THE SAME AS EVERYONE ELSE.
HERE IS HOW MY COMPUTER WORKS. A CAMERA IS MOUNTED UNDERNEATH THE SCREEN AND IS TRAINED ON ONE EYE --EVERYONE HAS A FAVORITE EYE. THE IMAGE FROM THE CAMERA APPEARS ON THE SCREEN SO THAT THE CAMERA THEN CAN BE FOCUSED SHARPLY. THEN THE POSITION OF MY EYE IS CALIBRATED TO THE SCREEN BY LOOKING AT EACH CORNER AND THE CENTER TOP AND BOTTOM --NINE POINTS IN ALL. BASED ON THIS CALIBRATION STEP, THE CAMERA IS SO SENSITIVE THAT IT KNOWS EXACTLY WHERE MY EYE IS LOCATED ANYWHERE ON THE COMPUTER SCREEN.
AFTER CALIBRATION, A KEYBOARD APPEARS ON THE BOTTOM HALF OF THE SCREEN AND THE TOP HALF IS BLANK. WHEN I LOOK AT A LETTER ON THE KEYBOARD FOR JUST TWO TENTHS OF A SECOND IT APPEARS ON THE TOP HALF OF THE SCREEN.
THE TIMING CAN BE ADJUSTED SLOWER OR EVEN FASTER. THERE ARE INTERCHANGEABLE KEYBOARDS --ONE FOR THE ALPHABET, ONE WITH NUMBERS AND ONE FOR PUNCTUATION.THE USUAL FUNCTION ICONS AND TOOL BARS APPEAR AT THE TOP AND BOTTOM OF THE COMPUTER SCREEN. THE PROCESS I USED FOR WRITING THE BOOK WAS AS FOLLOWS: I DIDN'T ATTEMPT TO SEE THE FINAL PRODUCT IN MY MIND BEFORE STARTING TO WRITE. INSTEAD, I JUST WROTE SHORT VIGNETTES, LIKE A SMALL CAPSULE, OF EVENTS OR EXPERIENCES THAT I REMEMBERED OVER THE YEARS --ANYTHING THAT HAD STUCK IN MY MIND. I DID ATTEMPT TO DATE EACH STORY, EITHER BY MEMORY, PHOTOGRAPHS THAT I COLLECTED FROM MY FAMILY AND EVEN THE RECORDS AT ELLIS ISLAND --THE FAMOUS ENTRY PORT FOR IMMIGRANTS TO THE UNITED STATES IN THE 18th AND 19Th CENTURIES, AND THE FIRST HALF OF THE 20th CENTURY.
AS IT TURNED OUT, MY LIFE STORIES BEGAN TO FALL INTO A NATURAL CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER --THE FAMILY HISTORY FIRST, THEN FARM AND SCHOOL LIFE IN KANSAS, THEN LAW SCHOOL IN WASHINGTON D. C., THEN COMING TO NEW YORK CITY IN 1963 AND MY INDOCTRINATION TO BIG CITY LIFE AND HOW THE CITY HAS CHANGED IN THE PAST 40 YEARS. I THEN DESCRIBE SOME OF THE COURTROOM DRAMAS, SOME OF WHICH ARE HUMOUROUS, THAT I EXPERIENCED IN MY LAW PRACTICE. I ALSO CAME ACROSS MANY INVENTORS IN MY LAW PRACTICE, AND I WRITE ABOUT TWO OF THEM WHO WERE PARTICULARLY INTERESTING CHARACTERS.
FINALLY, I DESCRIBE MY EARLY SYMPTOMS WHICH FORETELL THE ONSET OF ALS --LOU GEHRIG"S DISEASE, .THE STOMACH CRAMPS, LEG WEAKNESS, THEN STUMBLING AND FALLING FOR NO APPARENT REASON. AFTER NEARLY TWO YEARS OF THESE DECLINING PHYSICAL ABILITIES, WHICH BY THEN HAD ME LEANING ON A CANE AND THE ARM OF ANYONE WHO WAS NEAR, I WAS OFFICIALLY DIAGNOSED WITH A L S. I RELATE MY EMOTIONAL DEVASTATION, THE INDIGNITIES I INITIALLY FELT WHEN A WHEELCHAIR BECAME THE ONLY OPTION..BUT I ALSO DESCRIBE MANY FUNNY MOMENTS AND COMPASSIONATE EXPERIENCES AS I MOVED THROUGH THE STAGES OF IMMOBILITY.
I WROTE MY BOOK FOR TWO REASONS.FIRST,SO MY FAMILY WOULD HAVE AN ENDURING MEMORY OF THEIR ANCESTORS AND ONE MAN'S JOURNEY THROUGH LIFE FROM THE FARM TO THE CITY.SECOND, I WANTED TO ENCOURAGE OTHERS WITH PHYSICAL HARDSHIPS THAT A GOOD QUALITY OF LIFE IS POSSIBLE, PARTICULARLY WITH TODAY"S ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGIES. I HAVE NO USE OF MY HANDS, ARMS OR LEGS AND CANNOT SPEAK. BUT I UNDERSTAND AS FULLY AS EVER --AND WITH MY COMPUTER I CAN COMMUNICATE AS WELL AS THE NEXT PERSON. LIFE IS GOOD.
ENJOY IT FOR ALL ITS WORTH!
I SAY THIS TO LET YOU KNOW THAT I NOT ONLY HAD TO LEARN TO TYPE WITH MY EYE, I ALSO HAD TO LEARN THE BASICS OF COMPUTER WORD PROCESSING LINGO. I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT MY EYE RESPONSIVE COMPUTER CAN BE SUCCESSFULLY USED BY ANYONE WITH DIFFICULTY USING THEIR HANDS OR HAS NO SPEECH,. I CAN DRAFT, EDIT, SAVE AND RETRIEVE DOCUMENTS. I CAN EMAIL AND SURF THE INTERNET PRETTY MUCH THE SAME AS EVERYONE ELSE.
HERE IS HOW MY COMPUTER WORKS. A CAMERA IS MOUNTED UNDERNEATH THE SCREEN AND IS TRAINED ON ONE EYE --EVERYONE HAS A FAVORITE EYE. THE IMAGE FROM THE CAMERA APPEARS ON THE SCREEN SO THAT THE CAMERA THEN CAN BE FOCUSED SHARPLY. THEN THE POSITION OF MY EYE IS CALIBRATED TO THE SCREEN BY LOOKING AT EACH CORNER AND THE CENTER TOP AND BOTTOM --NINE POINTS IN ALL. BASED ON THIS CALIBRATION STEP, THE CAMERA IS SO SENSITIVE THAT IT KNOWS EXACTLY WHERE MY EYE IS LOCATED ANYWHERE ON THE COMPUTER SCREEN.
AFTER CALIBRATION, A KEYBOARD APPEARS ON THE BOTTOM HALF OF THE SCREEN AND THE TOP HALF IS BLANK. WHEN I LOOK AT A LETTER ON THE KEYBOARD FOR JUST TWO TENTHS OF A SECOND IT APPEARS ON THE TOP HALF OF THE SCREEN.
THE TIMING CAN BE ADJUSTED SLOWER OR EVEN FASTER. THERE ARE INTERCHANGEABLE KEYBOARDS --ONE FOR THE ALPHABET, ONE WITH NUMBERS AND ONE FOR PUNCTUATION.THE USUAL FUNCTION ICONS AND TOOL BARS APPEAR AT THE TOP AND BOTTOM OF THE COMPUTER SCREEN. THE PROCESS I USED FOR WRITING THE BOOK WAS AS FOLLOWS: I DIDN'T ATTEMPT TO SEE THE FINAL PRODUCT IN MY MIND BEFORE STARTING TO WRITE. INSTEAD, I JUST WROTE SHORT VIGNETTES, LIKE A SMALL CAPSULE, OF EVENTS OR EXPERIENCES THAT I REMEMBERED OVER THE YEARS --ANYTHING THAT HAD STUCK IN MY MIND. I DID ATTEMPT TO DATE EACH STORY, EITHER BY MEMORY, PHOTOGRAPHS THAT I COLLECTED FROM MY FAMILY AND EVEN THE RECORDS AT ELLIS ISLAND --THE FAMOUS ENTRY PORT FOR IMMIGRANTS TO THE UNITED STATES IN THE 18th AND 19Th CENTURIES, AND THE FIRST HALF OF THE 20th CENTURY.
AS IT TURNED OUT, MY LIFE STORIES BEGAN TO FALL INTO A NATURAL CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER --THE FAMILY HISTORY FIRST, THEN FARM AND SCHOOL LIFE IN KANSAS, THEN LAW SCHOOL IN WASHINGTON D. C., THEN COMING TO NEW YORK CITY IN 1963 AND MY INDOCTRINATION TO BIG CITY LIFE AND HOW THE CITY HAS CHANGED IN THE PAST 40 YEARS. I THEN DESCRIBE SOME OF THE COURTROOM DRAMAS, SOME OF WHICH ARE HUMOUROUS, THAT I EXPERIENCED IN MY LAW PRACTICE. I ALSO CAME ACROSS MANY INVENTORS IN MY LAW PRACTICE, AND I WRITE ABOUT TWO OF THEM WHO WERE PARTICULARLY INTERESTING CHARACTERS.
FINALLY, I DESCRIBE MY EARLY SYMPTOMS WHICH FORETELL THE ONSET OF ALS --LOU GEHRIG"S DISEASE, .THE STOMACH CRAMPS, LEG WEAKNESS, THEN STUMBLING AND FALLING FOR NO APPARENT REASON. AFTER NEARLY TWO YEARS OF THESE DECLINING PHYSICAL ABILITIES, WHICH BY THEN HAD ME LEANING ON A CANE AND THE ARM OF ANYONE WHO WAS NEAR, I WAS OFFICIALLY DIAGNOSED WITH A L S. I RELATE MY EMOTIONAL DEVASTATION, THE INDIGNITIES I INITIALLY FELT WHEN A WHEELCHAIR BECAME THE ONLY OPTION..BUT I ALSO DESCRIBE MANY FUNNY MOMENTS AND COMPASSIONATE EXPERIENCES AS I MOVED THROUGH THE STAGES OF IMMOBILITY.
I WROTE MY BOOK FOR TWO REASONS.FIRST,SO MY FAMILY WOULD HAVE AN ENDURING MEMORY OF THEIR ANCESTORS AND ONE MAN'S JOURNEY THROUGH LIFE FROM THE FARM TO THE CITY.SECOND, I WANTED TO ENCOURAGE OTHERS WITH PHYSICAL HARDSHIPS THAT A GOOD QUALITY OF LIFE IS POSSIBLE, PARTICULARLY WITH TODAY"S ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGIES. I HAVE NO USE OF MY HANDS, ARMS OR LEGS AND CANNOT SPEAK. BUT I UNDERSTAND AS FULLY AS EVER --AND WITH MY COMPUTER I CAN COMMUNICATE AS WELL AS THE NEXT PERSON. LIFE IS GOOD.
ENJOY IT FOR ALL ITS WORTH!
MAUREEN'S SPEACH IN WINNIPEG
March 19, 2009
NOT IN KANSAS AMYMORE: A PRAIRIE BOY'S LIFE
A New Voice and A New Beginning
I was brought to my knees the day my husband Bob was diagnosed with ALS, It was 12years ago. After we spoke with our doctor, a social worker sat us down and said it short and NOT so sweet. "You are on a downhill ride and there is NO WAY OFF. " She also said, "Bob will first lose all function in his arms and legs, then his hands, and then his lungs. He will die of respiratory failure --but then, we all die of respiratory failure."
We both abruptly left the doctor's offices, stunned by the devastating prognosis. I thought to myself, "How are we going to go forward?" There was really nothing either one of us could say at the time. It was such a shock.
But then we began to read about ALS, we read, read, and read some more. Then we talked and talked. Bob approached his diagnosis like everything else . . . as a scientist. He studied medical journals and textbooks, and searched for medical school websites. And asked lots of questions. And forward we went --one day at a time. The losses come every day with ALS. Sometimes subtle, and sometimes knocking you on your back.
Bob's changes came from the legs up. First, he became fatigued walking five or six blocks, then his fatigue came after only half a block. Then he could not go up or down stairs, or jump and then came the stumbles and falls. After that, a cane, then a walker and then, a wheelchair. Next, Bob lost the use of his arms, so that he could not lift even a book or bring a glass of water or food to his mouth. Not yet finished with the losses, ALS then took away Bob's use of his hands. No longer able to hold a pen, he no longer could write or sign his name. A profound loss to his lifelong career as a patent lawyer --writing, dictating, editing --all day, everyday. And yet, Bob continued his law practice throughout all these losses. We found a medical student to shower and dress Bob in the morning and another young nurse's helper to be his hands and legs at the office.
NOT IN KANSAS AMYMORE: A PRAIRIE BOY'S LIFE
A New Voice and A New Beginning
I was brought to my knees the day my husband Bob was diagnosed with ALS, It was 12years ago. After we spoke with our doctor, a social worker sat us down and said it short and NOT so sweet. "You are on a downhill ride and there is NO WAY OFF. " She also said, "Bob will first lose all function in his arms and legs, then his hands, and then his lungs. He will die of respiratory failure --but then, we all die of respiratory failure."
We both abruptly left the doctor's offices, stunned by the devastating prognosis. I thought to myself, "How are we going to go forward?" There was really nothing either one of us could say at the time. It was such a shock.
But then we began to read about ALS, we read, read, and read some more. Then we talked and talked. Bob approached his diagnosis like everything else . . . as a scientist. He studied medical journals and textbooks, and searched for medical school websites. And asked lots of questions. And forward we went --one day at a time. The losses come every day with ALS. Sometimes subtle, and sometimes knocking you on your back.
Bob's changes came from the legs up. First, he became fatigued walking five or six blocks, then his fatigue came after only half a block. Then he could not go up or down stairs, or jump and then came the stumbles and falls. After that, a cane, then a walker and then, a wheelchair. Next, Bob lost the use of his arms, so that he could not lift even a book or bring a glass of water or food to his mouth. Not yet finished with the losses, ALS then took away Bob's use of his hands. No longer able to hold a pen, he no longer could write or sign his name. A profound loss to his lifelong career as a patent lawyer --writing, dictating, editing --all day, everyday. And yet, Bob continued his law practice throughout all these losses. We found a medical student to shower and dress Bob in the morning and another young nurse's helper to be his hands and legs at the office.
How did we handle these losses, you might ask? Not particularly well at the time. We grieved, cried a lot, and then couldn't cry anymore. At that point, we just put away our dreams and put our lost capabilities in lockup. We refused to dwell on the "what might have beens." If we did that, the future would be hopeless.
Instead, we dreamed new dreams -- by this time, Bob was totally disabled, SO --where could we go or do what, all in a wheelchair? Well, we found lots of possibilities. We have flown to Puerto Rico and Las Vegas, cruised up the Alaska coast and the Mediterranean, visited museums, seen all the movies and a few Broadway shows. Plus, lots of window shopping and time in the park with our dog, Opal.
As foretold by that social worker in the doctor's office, ALS was not done yet. 5 years ago, Bob did, indeed, suffer a respiratory failure. But the social worker hadn't known of Bob's determination to live or of the lucky streak that has followed him throughout his life. Even though we were in a Boston hotel room, Bob's caretaker was with him when Bob stopped breathing, called 911, and the technicians managed to get an emergency tracheostomy into him in the nick of time to save his life. From then til now, Bob survives on a life-support ventilator and a stomach feeding tube.
As foretold by that social worker in the doctor's office, ALS was not done yet. 5 years ago, Bob did, indeed, suffer a respiratory failure. But the social worker hadn't known of Bob's determination to live or of the lucky streak that has followed him throughout his life. Even though we were in a Boston hotel room, Bob's caretaker was with him when Bob stopped breathing, called 911, and the technicians managed to get an emergency tracheostomy into him in the nick of time to save his life. From then til now, Bob survives on a life-support ventilator and a stomach feeding tube.
He spent 3 weeks in the well known Helen Hayes Rehabilitation Hospital so that our caretakers, our 3 sons and myself could learn the operation of the ventilator equipment so Bob could continue living at home successfully, and not in a nursing facility.
Even with the tracheostomy, Bob was able to use his voice quite well for almost 3 more years. As with everything for the ALS patient, however, his voice also slowly faded until he no longer could speak. That was probably the most devastating loss of all. Not only for communication, but Bob had enjoyed a lifetime hobby of singing. So --another wall to climb. But, thankfully, there is one thing ALS does not affect --and that is the brain. Bob thinks and understands as well as ever.
Even with the tracheostomy, Bob was able to use his voice quite well for almost 3 more years. As with everything for the ALS patient, however, his voice also slowly faded until he no longer could speak. That was probably the most devastating loss of all. Not only for communication, but Bob had enjoyed a lifetime hobby of singing. So --another wall to climb. But, thankfully, there is one thing ALS does not affect --and that is the brain. Bob thinks and understands as well as ever.
And that brings us up to date -- the eye-responsive computer became Bob's new voice. With this technology, he wrote his memoir "NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE," telling his life story in his own words. It took Bob 13 months to write --each letter of each word produced by a separate eye movement. With drafts, edits and rewrites, more than a million eye clicks.
I hope you will read and enjoy Bob's fascinating, life affirming and inspiring life story. Thank you.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Response to book
Dear Bob:
I just finished reading your book. Congratulations! You have written an engaging story of your rural past and your urban success. You are a great testimony to the perseverance needed to overcome huge obstacles in life. This book encourages everyone who reads it to never give up.
I am so honored to know you all these years. You have inspired my life.
Praying for you always.
Sincerely, Pastor John and Irene Smucker
I just finished reading your book. Congratulations! You have written an engaging story of your rural past and your urban success. You are a great testimony to the perseverance needed to overcome huge obstacles in life. This book encourages everyone who reads it to never give up.
I am so honored to know you all these years. You have inspired my life.
Praying for you always.
Sincerely, Pastor John and Irene Smucker
Thursday, February 12, 2009
A lovely and treasured letter I received
Your book arrived in the mail yesterday, and I stopped everything to read it right through, nonstop -- couldn't help but. I've read through any number of books in one sitting of course, but only one other comes to mind in which I definitely should have been doing something else, as was the case here, and that was Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby," so you're in good company.
The book was wonderful and I hope it will be a best-seller. Modest in tone, but wonderfully vivid and uplifting, and wonderful stories that reflect your personality so well, I chuckled many, many times, remembering all the similar good laughs we had during our high school years. I hadn't realized you were so close to your brothers all those years, nor that you had had to work so hard on the farm. You've really had a most interesting life, and, I liked the emphasis on good luck, which Liz and I have also appreciated over the years -- but it was a great way to start the book, setting the tone for the book and reinforcing it throughout.
I remember how thorough you were in learning the material in the one rigorous course we had in high school -- biology. So, the intensity you brought to your profession in patent law was but a continuation of that resolve. We actually had to study in that class and you were a master. Also, I was pleased that you mentioned Jaderborg, our English teacher, who made a huge difference in our lives. Many of his significant passages still reverberate in my mind and the wisdom they conveyed have been unforgotten.
I liked the three quotes you used at the beginning of each section, particularly the Einstein quote. It's been a hard lesson for me, because I've always felt I could do anything, and that's been the cause of alot of disappointment and depression. But it's so true; once you realize you're limitations, life can open up and you can get a perspective on what's important, and can accept other people much better as well. The other quotes were very apt too -- you meet life where it is, and that's what you choose.
Congratulations again on a beautiful book, and on getting it reviewed in The New York Times -- no small thing! We hope to buy lots of copies and give them to friends as gifts -- and so proud to have been part of your life and can claim you as a lifetime friend. I wish everyone in our class could write such a memoir -- everyone has an interesting story I expect -- though your life has really been exceptional. Liz is reading the book now; it's spawned so many conversations, and we again are so thankful for all the good luck we've enjoyed -- an important attitude to carry into old age (so many are embittered).
Loren
The book was wonderful and I hope it will be a best-seller. Modest in tone, but wonderfully vivid and uplifting, and wonderful stories that reflect your personality so well, I chuckled many, many times, remembering all the similar good laughs we had during our high school years. I hadn't realized you were so close to your brothers all those years, nor that you had had to work so hard on the farm. You've really had a most interesting life, and, I liked the emphasis on good luck, which Liz and I have also appreciated over the years -- but it was a great way to start the book, setting the tone for the book and reinforcing it throughout.
I remember how thorough you were in learning the material in the one rigorous course we had in high school -- biology. So, the intensity you brought to your profession in patent law was but a continuation of that resolve. We actually had to study in that class and you were a master. Also, I was pleased that you mentioned Jaderborg, our English teacher, who made a huge difference in our lives. Many of his significant passages still reverberate in my mind and the wisdom they conveyed have been unforgotten.
I liked the three quotes you used at the beginning of each section, particularly the Einstein quote. It's been a hard lesson for me, because I've always felt I could do anything, and that's been the cause of alot of disappointment and depression. But it's so true; once you realize you're limitations, life can open up and you can get a perspective on what's important, and can accept other people much better as well. The other quotes were very apt too -- you meet life where it is, and that's what you choose.
Congratulations again on a beautiful book, and on getting it reviewed in The New York Times -- no small thing! We hope to buy lots of copies and give them to friends as gifts -- and so proud to have been part of your life and can claim you as a lifetime friend. I wish everyone in our class could write such a memoir -- everyone has an interesting story I expect -- though your life has really been exceptional. Liz is reading the book now; it's spawned so many conversations, and we again are so thankful for all the good luck we've enjoyed -- an important attitude to carry into old age (so many are embittered).
Loren
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Kindness
For Bob, October 21st 2007
Before you know what kindness really is
You must lose things,
Feel the future dissolve in a moment
Like salt in a weakened broth.
From “KINDNESS” by Naomi Shihab Nye
As you all know, I lost my sister Diane a few years ago. She had not been ill…she just died… suddenly…drowned while doing work with the Guatemalan people. I’ve come to know the acute woe you feel with sudden death. I’ve also come to know what it is like to live with a catastrophic prolonged illness…through Bob.
In March of 1998 Diane said... “Where is God in all of this…I don’t know…but He has promised to be with us always in the darkness and in the light…In the darkness we cannot see or feel…Know that you are surrounded by people that do love you both and your family as well...” And here we are with YOU… our family and friends.....thank you.
ALS has made our old dreams die…but new dreams emerge…We have learned to mourn each loss and move forward…And this Bob has done with elegance and undying courage...I love him for this.
Bob is a sophisticated man…even though he hales from a wheat farm in rural Lindsborg Kansas. But, he draws his contentment from simple things…a ride in the van to the boardwalk in Brighton Beach, the dinners and lunches and movies with you...our friends, watching Tiger Woods play, being glued to a Yankees game or CSI, listening to opera. Because of your KINDNESS, Bob is at home and can enjoy all these simple things.
A mixture of emotions sweeps over me tonight…High on this list is JOY, LOVE and GRATEFULNESS.
Herman Melville, a New Yorker by the way, said “We cannot live for ourselves alone. Our lives are connected by a thousand invisible threads”… You all are those threads.
Thank you again for your KINDNESS.
I would like to leave you with a quote from James Baldwin…”The moment we cease to hold each other, the moment we break faith with one another, the sea engulfs us and the light goes out” but you all know this already ….you have kept on our light these past years…
Love and Thanks, Maureen
…
Monday, February 2, 2009
New York Times Article
NEW YORK REGION / THE CITY | February 01, 2009
Reading New York: The Bagel, the Lobster and the World's 'Luckiest Man'
By SAM ROBERTS
Robert E. Paulson’s “Not in Kansas Anymore: A Memoir of the Farm, New York City and Life with A.L.S.” (Gemma B. Publishing, $19.95) is an inspirational must-read record of one man’s indomitability with the support of his wife, his family and his friends.
Mr. Paulson, a former patent attorney, began suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, when he was an adult and the father of three sons (one still a teenager). He recalls his first view of New York in “the bad old days” of the early 1960s and his later move to Yorkville, where Lou Gehrig, the ballplayer who gave his name to the disease, grew up.
Along the way, Mr. Paulson offers some intriguing arcana regarding patent law, but the most moving passages involve his discovery, beginning in 1993, that “something was wrong with my body.” He chronicles his metamorphosis from a vigorous former farm boy an amateur singer into an invalid unable to speak, one who breathes through a mechanical ventilator and is dependent on a feeding tube. “I was essentially entombed in my own body,” he writes.
But he lived and wrote this memoir on an eye-responsive computer keyboard. The “diagnosis of this disease need not be a death sentence,” he concludes, adding: “Life is everything. And what is it but the ability to feel, think and communicate? Thanks to today’s technologies, A.L.S. can’t take any of these from you.”
Echoing Gehrig, Mr. Paulson, who is 71, writes: “I am a lucky man.”
Mr. Paulson, a former patent attorney, began suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, when he was an adult and the father of three sons (one still a teenager). He recalls his first view of New York in “the bad old days” of the early 1960s and his later move to Yorkville, where Lou Gehrig, the ballplayer who gave his name to the disease, grew up.
Along the way, Mr. Paulson offers some intriguing arcana regarding patent law, but the most moving passages involve his discovery, beginning in 1993, that “something was wrong with my body.” He chronicles his metamorphosis from a vigorous former farm boy an amateur singer into an invalid unable to speak, one who breathes through a mechanical ventilator and is dependent on a feeding tube. “I was essentially entombed in my own body,” he writes.
But he lived and wrote this memoir on an eye-responsive computer keyboard. The “diagnosis of this disease need not be a death sentence,” he concludes, adding: “Life is everything. And what is it but the ability to feel, think and communicate? Thanks to today’s technologies, A.L.S. can’t take any of these from you.”
Echoing Gehrig, Mr. Paulson, who is 71, writes: “I am a lucky man.”
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