Dear Janie,

Have no fear or regrets of oversharing your experience and and regard for Amos. This thread is much like a wake. The last couple wakes I attended were filled with hearing stories of other interests, family, friends, all beyond my contact with the friend who died. What that sharing gave me was a greater appreciation of one I already valued, to understand that there were lives that had much bigger holes in them than mine, and to realize I had been right in cherishing our friendship in such a broad, exciting life. And those folks I knew well and long. Knowing that someone you were barely acquainted with (as me with Amos) was all kinds of wonderful in the lives of others who, in turn, appreciated them, enlarges their memory all around. And that's a good thing. The world right now is so full of awful, that heartfelt expressions of friendship and love are like clean air and pure water, amid the muck.

The proof that Amos had so many good friends is a prod for me to BE a good friend, and work a bit harder to turn acquaintances into friends.

Joanne in Cleveland