[Ohio-talk] HERE I GO AGAIN!

[Smith, JW]

Dear NFB of OHIO, Family, Friends, and Colleagues,

I can hear some of you already saying, "Here he goes again", but I feel compelled to say this at least one more time publicly because I am a firm believer in, "Giving someone their flowers while they live and they can smell them". I just finished reading our newsletter yesterday and once again I want to convey my deepest gratitude and appreciation for the work that Barbara Pierce does to make this an extraordinary publication. I am continuously amazed at the depth and diversity of the information in our newsletters and her ability to put together topics and information that is relevant and informative to both new members and for those of us that have been in the movement for some time. Some people are born with gifts and talents and abilities to do specific tasks. For example, Michael Jordan was born to play basketball (6 championships without a loss), President Ronald Reagan was born to communicate and connect with the American public (labeled the Great Communicator and he won 49 states in 1984). It seems to me that Barbara Pierce has been given certain gifts, talents, and abilities to edit and convey information that is both timely and easily digestible. I know that I have a tendency to be effusive in my praise and compliments at times, but I hope that you will believe that I do them in a spirit of genuineness and honesty. Barbara probably does not need me to tell her how good she is, especially in this public format, as I'm sure it probably makes her uncomfortable sometimes. But, I am determined to tell someone that I love and care deeply about how much I appreciate them whenever the opportunity arises. I don't want to have kind words or deeds for someone and miss the opportunity to share those with that person. I don't want to have any regrets as it comes to showing appreciation. So let me thank you one more time for your indulgence and I will probably not use this public forum to convey this message to Barbara in the future. But, I want to reiterate just how much I enjoy our newsletters and how extraordinary I think they are because of the tireless and selfless determination and commitment of Barbara Pierce. I will say it one more time. Let's never take people like Barbara for granted because it is so easy to do so.

jw