Thank you Jerry, Jeanis, kat, John et al for sharing your thoughts. I really needed to see them today.

I've decided that I'm not going to inflict the news upon myself after 6pm - I'll keep updated around lunchtime instead, so that I don't toss and turn all night with those awful images fresh in my mind. I'm pretty fuzzy-headed this morning ...

And I want to thank Mudcat and all you Cats just for being here. I posted this on the "Tiny Piano Programs" thread this morning, but I want to post it here too, so more people will see just how helpful and important that Mudcat - and the sacred art of music - are in coping with this war:

"BillD, just wanted to thank you again for posting these programs.

One of my 10yr old piano students just moved to Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates a couple weeks ago. She e-mailed me yesterday, very disappointed that because of the war she won't be getting her keyboard or the rest of her stuff till probably May - it's still on a boat waiting to leave Canada. She sounded very angry ... "I just hate Bush and Saddam. They are just soooooo stupid! I still have all my songs in my head but I can't play them ..."

So I sent her the MIDIColors program, and she was tickled pink! She's on holidays from school this week, and it's giving her something fun to explore and a way to make music for now.

Thank you so much again Bill, and thanks to Mudcat for helping one little girl find some relief and distraction from the insanity of this war."

"What Can I Do" you ask? You're doing it, you wonderful folk!

Gratefully - daylia