Darin Wools died yesterday.
If you knew him, you knew he was a wonderful person, warm, generous, creative, passionate, and giving of his time despite the squeeze of his disabilities and chronic illnesses. He had gotten sick over the weekend, and went to the hospital Sunday evening, where he fell unconscious despite a defibrillator and 100 percent oxygen in the respirator. He didn't regain consciousness, though, and so far as outsiders can tell he didn't feel it his last day.
If you knew him you probably knew him through character names that I'm not mentioning here because Livejournal has a despicable policy of removing people from your ``friends'' list if they find out they're dead. I will not make an exhibit of my grief but he did not stop being my friend and I want to cling to that fact as long as I can.
The 28 September 1958 Peanuts has been one of my favorites for a long while. It opens with Linus finding a book and bringing it up to Lucy, and asking, ``Lucy, will you read this book to me?'' She says NO. ``Aw, c'mon ... '' NO! ``Pleeeeeez?'' and she grumbles.
Lucy finally takes the book from his hands, and says, ``A man was born ... he lived and he died! The end!'' and she throws the book away. An awed and touched Linus says to himself, ``What fascinating account ... it almost makes you wish you had known the fellow.'' I don't know why that affects me so greatly at times like this, but it brings me comfort when I think about it.
Trivia: President William Henry Harrison sent a personal check for $300 for the victims of the Johnstown (Pennsylvania) flood of 1889. Source: The Johnstown Flood, David McCullough.
Currently Reading: Food in History, Reay Tannahill.