For Whom The Bell Tolls...

No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thine own
Or of thine friend's were.
Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.

-- John Donne

I had a good morning.  My wife went to work at an earlier hour than usual so I was able to make breakfast for our son and take him to summer camp.  Later I went to the recording studio for a couple of hours to begin work on some new material.  I had lunch on the way home and decided to take advantage of the climate and mow the lawn. A thunderstorm was approaching and the weather was overcast and breezy.  I finished the front yard and moved to the back which is much larger.  I picked up the pace lest I get caught in a sudden downpour of rain.  As I was midway through the yard my elderly neighbor came out of his back door and approached the fence that borders our property.  I pushed the mower to where he stood and asked, "What's up, my friend"?  "Do you know my neighbor on the other side of my home?" he asked. "Sure I do.  Are you talking about Dave?" I inquired.  (I first met Dave when we initially moved into the neighborhood.  Dave, like me, was retired Army.  He was very hospitable to me and my family.  We would sometimes see him and his wife taking a walk thru the neighborhood). 

"Dave died this morning", my neighbor said.  All went silent around me and suddenly I was vividly aware as to how heavy I was breathing.  He told me that Dave had stomach cancer and had been diagnosed before we arrived to the neighborhood.  He was always so busy in the yard. One would never have known he was suffering from any disease.   "I didn't know if you knew him", he continued, "but in case you did I thought you would like to know", he said.  "Thank you. My wife and I will pay our respects later this evening."  My elderly neighbor turned to go back inside his home.  I started the mower and began to pray for Dave's wife.  It began to rain. I put the mower in the garage and came inside.

It was nice meeting you, Dave.

Dennis