One e-mail, from a friend who is coming to see me on Monday:
[In response to last night's post in which I referred to a "dear old friend"]: "Charlie, when you blog Monday evening, could you please refer to me as a 'dear' friend and 86 the 'old' ?"
Lesson learned! Henceforth, I'll try to refrain from characterizing friends in my blog!
A second e-mail:
"Charlie, a quote I read tonight:
'Everything can be taken away from man but one thing: the last of human freedoms-- to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.'
- Victor Frankl"
I replied by e-mail:
"_____, that is very insightful of you. When I found out I had cancer, I thought almost immediately of Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning, which I have reread periodically since I discovered it some 10 or 15 years ago, maybe even longer ago. I realized that I had to find meaning in light of my new circumstances. When I got home, I got a copy from my bookshelves and reread several parts, including the passage you quote. I do not by any means think I have things figured out yet, and I do not know if I will be able to do so, but Frankl is definitely helping me to frame the questions in my mind."
