The best part of any presentation I give is the Question and Answer section. At one venue, a person in the audience followed me outside to ask one more question: "What do you think Donn would say today about you?" I thought about it a minute, and then gave this answer: "I think he would be sorry that I have been sad for so long."
Donn was more like our mother: upbeat, carpe diem, and if there's a party, let's go! He had the sign over his tent in Vietnam that said, "Smile! That's an order!" It is tough to find a picture of him without a big smile on his face.
I never had that joie de vivre. Must be a hardwired component that I missed out on. But Donn had it, and he spread it wherever he could. His letters sparkle with his humor and his fondness for his comrades and for the South Vietnamese people. He was, as one soldier wrote to me, "One of the best human beings I have ever known."
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Yes, whenever we got together, Donn was ready with his latest jokes. We should remember him that way by sharing a few jokes whenever we get together.
Mom is always sharing jokes with me from our Sunday paper..called the Dot. She gets a big kick out of Shoe and the Family Circus in the funnies too!
i think that most writers are wired the way that you are. i sounds like you are very thoughtful.
pretty cool that you are coming out with another book!
Post a Comment