Love, Sweet Love

Back in the late 60's or early 70's there was a song with lyrics that said, "What the world needs now is love, sweet love.  It's the only thing that there's just too little of..................."  Yesterday I was speaking with my daughter who lives in Manhattan.  Because of the recent tragedy at the Empire State Building we talked of  many things:

• the insanity in today's world, 
• the senseless crimes, 
• the red flags that are ignored which could prevent tragedies,
• the rage and anger exhibited by many people, 
• the killing and wounding of innocent people, 
• the bickering, dishonesty, and lack of action of our elected representatives, 
• the insane greed and lust for power, money, and 15 minutes of fame,
• the overwhelming national debt,
• the millions of people looking for jobs,
• the loss of moral compasses by many people,
• the ever-increasing numbers of homeless people and addicts of every kind,
• the looting and stealing of other people's property by thugs,
• the destruction of property over stupid things like a sporting event won or lost,
• the great lack of respect for authority, anything or anyone, 
• the huge number of single mothers and abdication of responsibility by fathers,
• the boys who think that they are tough because they belong to gangs and are no strangers to drive-by shootings and other criminal acts,
• the ridiculous mismanagement of funds in cities, towns, and states causing the loss of needed protection provided by police, fire fighters, and our military.  
• and so many, many more issues that taint life in the world today.

You will notice we did not mention natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, fires,  hurricanes or tornadoes as they are things over which humans have no control. The problems we discussed are all man made and, therefore, in truth can be resolved by mankind if we are inclined to fix them.  We talked about things that could, should, or might be done to resolve the problems and make the world a better, safer place.

We believe the thing that could start to make things better is LOVE.  All children and adults need love, compassion and kindness, and when they don't get it anger, rage, and bad behavior are the results.  There have always been evil people and evil acts, and there are people who have been loved but still choose to go down a wrong path in life. Many people want to fight, quarrel, kill, threaten, attack, and generally behave like jerks.  Love, kindness and compassion can help many of them and, over time, prevent the numbers from increasing.

Such a simple answer but a true answer.  Will we all ask ourselves what do we do that we need to stop doing, and what do we not do that we need to start doing?  Will we begin in our own homes, on our own streets, in our own cities and towns?  Bad people and bad deeds make the daily news, but there are still millions of good people in this world who are never mentioned................there are enough good people so that we could turn the world around if we join forces and decide to do it.

"What the world needs now is love, sweet love......................"  How about it?  Are you in?

Summer 2012

Summer 2012 has been filled with ups and downs, and I am so grateful for the "ups" in my life.  After my lung cancer surgery I am cancer free...........no chemo...........no radiation...........just five years of follow-up with my oncologist.  Knowing that the surgeon was able to remove all of the cancer is definitely a huge "up" in my life.  

Another really significant "up" is my only grandchild's recovery from a very scary experience.  He and his parents came from Tokyo to visit me.   I am always thrilled to see them since we are separated by so many miles.  My son and grandson were to take a side trip to Texas, and shortly after the plane departed my grandson experienced tremendous pain in his back and shoulder.  On board were a doctor, a paramedic, and a nurse, but no one had any idea what was wrong with him (no one had a stethoscope) so he was given oxygen for the remainder of the flight and advised to go to the nearest urgent care facility upon arrival at DFW Airport.  Urgent Care doctors could not determine what was wrong with him but, thankfully, decided to take a chest x-ray which revealed one of his lungs was partially collapsed.  An ambulance ride to the nearest hospital emergency room followed, a chest tube was inserted and he was admitted to the hospital.

After a week of being unable to get his lung to remain inflated on its own, he underwent almost the same surgery I had just had weeks earlier.  He was in the hospital for 13 days and then remained in Texas for two additional weeks waiting to be released to fly (not only back to the desert where I live but back to Tokyo).  We were all very relieved when they made it safely back to Tokyo last weekend with no problems of any kind.

My grandson is close to six feet tall at age 16, and he is extremely thin.  The doctors who treated him said that he had spontaneous pneumothorax which is not uncommon in teenage boys and young men who are very tall and thin. Spontaneous pneumothorax is a collection of air or gas in the space between the lungs and the chest that "collapses" the lung and prevents it from inflating completely.  They cannot predict when it happens or what if anything precipitates the collapse of the lung, but I can assure you it is a very scary experience for the patient and family.  

My grandson is doing well and this week started his junior year in high school. I too am feeling well and looking forward to Fall and Winter 2012.  Despite a long absence from my blog and on-line shops I very much appreciate all of you who continued to read posts and visit both shops www.malcolmfortots.etsy.com and www.malcolmfortots.com

My family and I have been truly blessed and are thankful for the outcome of this memorable summer.