Post by gerrit on Mar 31, 2008 22:16:55 GMT
Hi All,
I would like to thank all of those who sent me a private message congratulating me with my birthday. I take this step of doing it publically, because to thank all the people who sent me a PM separately would consume a quite considerable amount of time.
I was simply amazed at the number of PM's I received here, despite the fact that I seldomly post.
Still, it was Steve's message asking us if birthdays are really necessary (I quote "Birthdays are also reminders, and there's a touch of cruelty in that fact alone. They remind us that our days, er, years, are numbered.") that really struck me and caused me to publish this as a separate thread.
Because I have experienced the sentiment in that quote in recent times all too much. In the coming 6 weeks, I have appointments with a heart specialist, a lung specialst and a specialist on the digestive system, because there are things wrong an many parts of my body.
Still, 5 years ago, I was blissfully unaware of the possibility of such problems. Yet I've "only" turned 54. (my year of birth was '54 as well).
In recent times I myself have been forcefully confronted with the fact that our years are numbered. (Especially as the two early stalwarts of this site, Keith Sheel and Simon Smalley, have already gone before us, at ages that are comparable to mine.)
Still, I believe that every year we are given is of value. In any given year, we can do much that will be of lasting value to the next generation.
Gerrit
PS To all those who congratulated me by PM - many thanks, and I hope that it is acceptable to you that I thank you in this rather public (and also rather anonymous) way.
I would like to thank all of those who sent me a private message congratulating me with my birthday. I take this step of doing it publically, because to thank all the people who sent me a PM separately would consume a quite considerable amount of time.
I was simply amazed at the number of PM's I received here, despite the fact that I seldomly post.
Still, it was Steve's message asking us if birthdays are really necessary (I quote "Birthdays are also reminders, and there's a touch of cruelty in that fact alone. They remind us that our days, er, years, are numbered.") that really struck me and caused me to publish this as a separate thread.
Because I have experienced the sentiment in that quote in recent times all too much. In the coming 6 weeks, I have appointments with a heart specialist, a lung specialst and a specialist on the digestive system, because there are things wrong an many parts of my body.
Still, 5 years ago, I was blissfully unaware of the possibility of such problems. Yet I've "only" turned 54. (my year of birth was '54 as well).
In recent times I myself have been forcefully confronted with the fact that our years are numbered. (Especially as the two early stalwarts of this site, Keith Sheel and Simon Smalley, have already gone before us, at ages that are comparable to mine.)
Still, I believe that every year we are given is of value. In any given year, we can do much that will be of lasting value to the next generation.
Gerrit
PS To all those who congratulated me by PM - many thanks, and I hope that it is acceptable to you that I thank you in this rather public (and also rather anonymous) way.