There are a lot of amazing and wonderful people in my life-I am rich.

Two wonderful sisters, Kathy and Jan and two wonderful brothers, Buzz and Mark-thankfully, finally, we all live in the same state, within driving distance. The love of my nieces and nephews astounds and excites me-and again, finally they are so close to home! Finally, I have a home thanks to Bubba's love, and he enjoys my entire family, as I love his family.

Billy in South Carolina, remains my self "adopted brother" after more than 30 years. John also in South Carolina, God's gift to loyalty, we have been caring friends for the same 30 years-John has forgiven my many shortcomings with smile and a joke, H since we met, always forgiving me, caring about me, keeping in touch with me. Sean, and old lover that remains a man I pray for and worry about, as his honest friendship has been as precious as painful, for more than 15 years after we parted. Sean told me once that if he ever had children, he knew God was going to give him a daughter as Sean had hurt so many women in his life. God gave him a beautiful daughter, then Sean's wife was diagnosed with brain cancer, and he feels the pain and guilt of his youthful wild oats overwhelmingly in this painful middle age we share.

I recently cyber connected with Heather, a child 6ish, when her mother would bring her along to Winterland,The Cow Palace, and various Bay Area concerts. As I spent so many of those shows covering the free medical clinic, we spent hours in the clinis hanging out together, as the it was her safe-space & I was always there for her. Now, she is thirty-something, married with a 2 1/2 yr old mirror image sans freckles, in Georgia. Michelle from Florida now, from San Francisco then. Deb, my hometown best friend and her wonderfully talented son, Derick Howard. Old friends from the Navy, the Bay Area, fairly new friends from the Stream, and from my little town... I couldn't be more surrounded by love and support than I am at this stage of my life.

My mental-health therapist Cecile, and I are such wonderful friends-our 1 hour sessions always last at least 1 1/2 hours, sometimes 2 hours, with tea and snacks celebrating our friendship, listening to one another's lives and losses, each of us comforting and encouraging one other-she tells me the job I am best suited for would be story-telling on a cruise ship...I can picture that.

I am blessed enough to have a Pete and re-Petey situation...Petey, who I met on the Stream has sent me 15 folders and a desktop full of tunes. Just because he feels like it- and often. We recently exchanged phone numbers as we had both suffered parental losses this year, and we are coming closer friends, long-distance from New York. His voice and accent sounds like like Little Steven's from the Boss Bruce's E St. band, the guy from "The Sopranos.". We swap stories, advice and comfort and share a wonderful musical bond across the miles.

Yesterday, I called my old friend Pete from my Navy days. We haven't talked for several years now. He gave me away at my wedding, and though he never liked my betrothed, he did it to make me happy. He was always a father-figure in our gang, driving us safely from one adventure to the next: drive-ins, opening night in D.C. for "The Exorcist," to the hills of Marin visiting wineries and "The Old Western Saloon," to concerts, parties, parks... Always everybody's best friend and substitute Dad...we have each taken our turns in drama, loss and depression. I was concerned yesterday when he indicated that for so much of his life, he has lived in the shadow of death, and so it would seem. I want to try so hard to lighten his heart and give him hope, but know that the ball is in his court-if he wants to re-kindle our friendship, if he wants any help... It hurts to hear him so blue. He took my Mom sight seeing in San Francisco, when she and HP had a power struggle over my basic rights before the wedding. He took my brother and sister in when they were busted sneaking into the Naval Hospital barracks for a cheap vacation visiting me in Oakland. I had a delightful brunch with Mark today, who was elated that I was re-establishing communications with Pete...I hope that I am, brother, I hope so. Pete-tell me true-can you hang with an Old Hippie Pollyanna when you appear to be surrounded by so many waves of sorrow? Please, Pete...be willing to be my friend once again. I always want to be accessible to those I love, and I still love Pete, our old gang's Pa...and I so want him to be happy again.

I want to work on my friendships on The Stream. Lucy, Moon Silver, Ron, Whit, Desari, Colo, Taylor, Puppy and Ice Man, ME, and...so very many more.

My life is surrounded by music and love, I eat when I am hungry(and then some!), I am cool in the summer, warm in the winter. My boyfriend looks after me and bought me a truck so "you can quit breaking down on all those country roads you drive on..." This is a rare and golden life that I lead.

It's really Wally World's loss...