A Time For Happy Anniversaries...

Folks - It's been such a special time these past few days...
Today marks the start of my 10th month with ''Dora,'' my new liver - transplanted to me on Dec. 19. I feel great and am doing fine on my declining volume of meds...

Everyday, I thank my donor family with a special prayer when I talk my morning walk. This day was extra special beginning with my 3.5-mile walk at 6 AM under a glowing, full harvest moon.
I said my usual ''Thank you Lord, for most this amazing day...'' and was powered on my walk by my new Ipod, which I've finally got sorted and loaded with some favorite tunes. I plan to recreate the Soundtrack of My Life - the background music to my surgery, courtesy of Dr. Diflo.
But this morning, the pod, on shuffle, guided me with Elvis Costello's ''Days,'' from the ''Until the End of the World'' soundtrack; ''How Beautiful Could A Being Be,'' from Caetano Veloso's ''Livro,'' and ''There is a Mountain,'' by Donovan, all spectacular early morning songs.

The other big anniversary was Sept. 14. It was 14 years ago (!) that I told Nancy she was the only bee in my bonnet on that day. We've been too busy celebrating to blog.

The thought for that day, from someone named Malcolm Schloss, is wonderful and apt:
''Love without ceasing, Give without measure - Who can exhaust God's limitless treaure?''

One of the first tunes on my Ipod - Tippa Irie's ''Love You To Me Heart & Soul'' - the first one our wedding tape, found after much searching. I had heard Tippa in the early '80s when I lived in London. That was before the Internet (was there such a time?) and it was next to impossible to find realitively obscure imports here. As luck would have it, I got an address somewhere for Tippa and wrote him in England to ask where I could find the CD. He wrote back (''I hope you and your wife dance in good time to ''Love You To Me Heart & Soul'' at your wedding'') with a mail box address, but, serendipitously, we found an import CD at the Virgin Megastore on the Champs Elysees in Paris and later happened upon a poster announcing a Tippa concert at SOB's in Manhattan - a great show!

Music's been a big theme lately - we enjoyed a free concert locally on Saturday night - again by happenstance. In tiny Mountainside, NJ under a full moon and brief shower, on blankets 30 yards from the stage we heard the Smithereens, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (still rocking!) and, our favorite band, ''They Might Be Giants'' who gave out orange over-sized foam hands of the style that sport fans wave at games. We screamed ourselves hoarse for the ''Hippy Kitten'' song, to no avail, but the show was still great. The confetti cannon worked in the rain and Tasha and Alex (dressed in some of my several XL TMBG shirts acquired at a dozen or so concerts over the years) scooped up handfuls and had confetti battles with Cousin Brendan...

Thank you, Lord, for most these amazing days...

Today's thought...
''The butterfly counts not months, but moments, and yet has time enough...''

******
UNOS reminds us of the never-ending need for organ donors...
as of Aug 19, 88,745 people waiting for all transplants nationwide...17,453 awaiting liver transplants...every 14 minutes a new name is added to the waiting list...