here's to now

Yesterday I mentioned Philip Simmons.

Philip was a young English teacher in a midwest university when he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease. As the disease progressed, he moved back to his parents place, in rural New England.

The book is a testimony to the strength of an individual. Even though he was dying when he wrote the book, and did die not too long afterward, he never feels sorry for himself, and only mentions the disease a few times, and that as an explanation not as an alibi.

His strength and his observations and conclusions inspired me as I was facing the Miriam’s Alzheimer’s.

My third daughter found the book, looked it over and bought it for me.

In the flyleaf she wrote: “To Papa, this book fell into my hands, I opened the pages and thought of you. His humor, his love of words, and Emerson and philosophies and philosophers. Here’s to now.”

That may well be the underlying theme of the book; “here’s to now.”