I just love sea shanteys, and so does Howard Hornstein. Howard was a pediatric dentist, of all things, but he so loved the songs of the sea that he spent many hours in his off times singing with a group of shanteymen, and going to festivals.

Last night, at a friend's house, I saw a book he had written. It is a collection of shanteys with music notation. There was more information about him in the introduction, and it was there that I learned he has ALS disese (Lou Gherig's disease). He wrote the entire book using his left eye! He uses a computer program that reads the movement of his eye and translates it into letters. (Professor Hocking does this).

I was so impressed. There is a line from a shantey where the crew is shipwrecked and clinging for life throughout a storm, and the singer says "Describe our state, who can?" And indeed, it is hard to imagine what Howard has endured, having to give up his practice, lose control over his body, lose the ability to sing!

Learning all this, I am happy to declare that I love the forthright, honest, and jovial obscenity of sea shanteys because those are his very words, the words I had read days ago without knowing of his plight.

Bravo Howard, may I have such courage to endure hardships! Margo White