Courage

I woke this morning to the thoughts of the many courageous people i have known in my life.
My own dad, who was ridiculed as a "foreigner" and therefore stupid as he struggled in working for a life in Texas (The reality is that he was brilliant, in math and could speak at least 9 languages fluently).
He also jumped into deep waters when I was washed off a jetty in Galveston, I could have drowned, but not with him there.
My girl fried and soul match, Penny, who I met up here, who ended up dying of leukemia after the match for her bone marrow did not take.
My best friend, Al, we paled around together for a long time. He knew it was his time (he was 83) and got his doctors permission to on vacation with me. We went to our favorite place in Virginia, ate his favorite foods , he became sick and was dead 3 days later, much to my dismay, but it is exactly how he wanted to go.
To Mary, who was in the final stages of AIDS and still showed so much life and vitality, until the end. She showed me you did not have to be well to have life, even in death,
To Sergio, a co-worker and AIDS counselor, who though was dying of complications of that disease, came to work, tho in great pain and tried to help as much as he could until he died.
Always home and uncool and his daughters difficult fight against that autoimmune disease that she has.
There are many others who blog, with whom i have seen their courage, it is passed on.
To my friend Jenny, who is showing more courage and sacrifice as a single parent, doing what she must to provide for her children.
During these chronicles of my long and some time difficult journey, if i have shown any courage, it is because i stand on the shoulders of giants that i have known in my life.