THE SHINE JOURNAL

FOCUS...  

                                               
            On making...                                                  
      seconds, minutes, hours and days
           pass grandly.

THOMAS says "I just turned 53 on Feb 12th. I'm what they used to call a professional bachelor. My professions have included, construction worker, social worker, psychologist, ski instructor and bartender to name a few. I have had cancer twice (Hodgkin's Disease, last time was 13 years ago). My older sister died after her 2nd bout of breast cancer. She found a lump after returning from 'Desert Storm' "

His motivation? "I'm not really sure. I came up with it just before I got my 2nd bout of Hodgkin's Disease. I've used it as a 'mantra' when dealing with tough life situations. After my older sister died in  my mom got very depressed. She died in May of '99 and dad followed in July. I was caretaker for them."

TOM says he wrote the second poem when his mother passed away.