Conversations with Calliope- Things I know for sure

(With Carol in the Caribbean)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Was yesterday as busy as you thought it would be?
JOE: Yes. I spent most of it running around as I thought I would.
CALLIOPE: Did you get to work on your website revisions?
JOE: Not much. I did think about things I know for sure which will be one component.
CALLIOPE: What did you come up with?
JOE; My first realization was that I am loved. I think I will start with that one.
CALLIOPE: Did you come up with any others?
JOE: I tried but couldn't get past the first one. I thought of people who don't feel loved and wonder what life must be like for them.
CALLIOPE: Good point.
JOE: I also wondered how much a part not feeling loved plays in the violence which seems to be increasing or is at least more reported in the news lately.
CALLIOPE: Maybe that will be the first of the life mysteries you plan to include.
JOE: It may well be. I will give this some thought. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

(Sunset in Key West)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Reflective.
CALLIOPE: About what?
JOE: In our travels yesterday, Carol and I spent the morning with a friend who is dying of cancer.
CALLIOPE: What was that like?
JOE: I was glad we did it but it wasn't easy. She has very little energy and spark left and was only barely able to carry on a conversation. I remember when she was bright, bubbly and full of life. Just an ember remains.
CALLIOPE: That must have been hard.
JOE: It was, but more so for Carol who lost her mother and sister and several other friends to cancer. She also went through a bout of her own.
CALLIOPE: Have you ever had to face cancer directly?
JOE: It depends on what you mean by directly. I struggled through Carol's diagnosis and treatments, but have never had cancer myself.
CALLIOPE: What did you learn from yesterday's experience?
JOE: That it is possible to remain loving and in love during the most extreme challenges. I am writing my next column about it and have it mostly finished.
CALLIOPE: So you plan to share the experience with others?
JOE: I do. The impact was quite profound. Talk with you on Monday.

The Mystery of Love

I wrote a column recently about the power of love. When I started the column, I realized how little I knew about love. When I had finished the column, I did not know much more. I think love is largely a mystery. We seem to know more about war, hatred, competition and all the things love is not. I recently discovered Daine Ackerman's book, The Natural History of Love and started reading it this afternoon. I am hoping for enlightenment.

(Wedding in Portland, Maine)