Why me God? Why not me? I noticed a swelling on my lower left leg on the calf muscle in late December 2009. There was no pain at all, so I dismissed it as a swelling from a hard fall I had taken in my basement about a month earlier. I showed it to Cindy who wanted me to go to the doctor's, but if you haven't noticed I am thick headed and wanted to see if it would just go away..it didn't. The doctor's visit and subsequent MRI in February began the process of identifying just what this thing was. Treatment could only begin after a positive ID. At this point I was not overly concerned. I still believed it to be a hematoma from the fall. It turned out to be much, much more. This is the first entry into a 2-year CaringBridge journal for my husband Bob who was 63 at the time and a very virile and active man. The hematoma turned out to be a rare and aggressive cancer that would take his life just 2 years later. The journal documents the tremendous faith and strength that he received from Christ every step of the way. The journal will carry you through the innermost thoughts of a man who knows that there is a possibility that he will not live through this, but turns to God and sees the joy of life in adversity. I rode the journey with him for 2 years and realized that through Jesus, Bob was able to not only live well but also to die well. His journal will put you front and center on his beautiful journey, something he called an e-ticket ride with Christ. We were all blessed to be a part of his journey and I hope, that after reading this, you will feel blessed too. He took my fear and turned it into wonder The mysteries of the ages will be mine soon. Are you jealous Open our eyes to the reality of the moments we live in.

One of the Greatest Poems in American Literature Walt Whitman (1819-1892) was considered by many to be one of the most important American poets of all time. He had a profound influence on all those who came after him. “Song of Myself”, a portion of Whitman’s monumental poetry collection “Leaves of Grass”, is one of his most beloved poems. It was through this moving piece that Whitman first made himself known to the world. One of the most acclaimed of all American poems, it is written in Whitman’s signature free verse style, without a regular form, meter, or rhythm. His lines have a mesmerizing chant-like quality, as he sought to make poetry more appealing. Few poems are as fun to read aloud as this one. Considered to be the core of his poetic vision, this poem is an optimistic and inspirational look at the world in 1855. It is exhilarating, epic, and fresh in its brilliant and fascinating diction and wordplay as it tries to capture the unique meaning of words of the day, while also embracing the rapidly evolving vocabularies of the sciences and the streets. Far ahead of its time, it was considered by many social conservatives to be scandalous and obscene for its depiction of sexuality and desire, while at the same time, critics hailed the poem as a modern masterpiece. This first version of “Song of Myself” is far superior to the later versions and will delight readers with the playfulness of its diction as it glorifies the self, body, and soul. “I am large, I contain multitudes,”