Loss and Regret

I just learned this morning that my former partner Susan Hager, 63, died suddenly at her home. She had been quite ill some years ago and had a kidney transplant donated by her assistant! If you want to read more about Susan's wonderful career look up: HagerSharp, Washington, DC. We have, within recent years, suffered what seems to be a growing number of untimely deaths among my cohort (people in their sixties) and it makes me regret every hour lost, every book unread, every concert missed, and most of all every friend not seen for a long time. The internet at once links us one to another, as I had always hoped. But it also cheapens the quality of the communication and lessens its emotional and intellectual content. My husband and I just watched all of the John Adams series produced by HBO. I also recently finished the Ron Chernow biography of Alexander Hamilton. One has to be struck by the ability of these correspondents to be literary, thoughtful, clever and prolific. All with a steel tipped quill!