God bless you.

We are closing in on 1,000 comments to this blog.

In fact, we are three comments away from what I would call a

"scheherazade." I started this blog 29 months ago, posting my first on May 5

2008. This is my 85th entry. I am told this is one of the paper's most popular

blogs.

I thank God for the time and energy and mind to write this blog.

I thank God for the Chicago Sun-Times for employing me for more than

38 years and for allowing me to blog my fight against a cancerous brain tumor

that was quickly declared benign, a malignant prostate tumor that was caught when

it was early and localized, and a weakened heart that now needs to be

replaced.

And now, I am about to celebrate a "scheharazade."

For you who don't know, I am a voracious lover of classical music. I have

been for some 55 years since I saw a black-and-white, televised production of

"The Mikado," an operetta by the British tandem of librettist William S. Gilbert and

composer Authur Sullivan.

Over the years, I have listened to hundreds of symphonies and innumerable

operas, motets, cantatas, quartets, trios, serenades, tone poems, sonatas, concerti

for different instruments and so on and on and on.

One of my favorite pieces, however, is "Scheherazade," a symphonic suite

composed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, a Russian music master. This piece was

delicious to my ears from the very first time I heard it. "Scheherazade" is

crafted around "The Book of One Thousand Nights,'' also referred to as the Arabian

Nights. It is a composition lushly laced with oriental euphoria. I have always been

fascinated by the culture, the art, the beauty, the myths and the cuisine of the

Orient.

Now, here comes my 'Scheherazade."

Key word of all this, now, is one thousand, which, you all know, is a

millennium. A millennium of anything good is a proud milestone. Nobody, in his

right mind, wants to suffer 1,000 cuts, or to be shot 1,000 times, or to be whipped

1,000 lashes, or to serve 1,000 days in a dungeon or prison.

But 1,000 kisses, 1,000 hugs, 1,000 friendly pats on the back, 1,000 honest

handshakes, 1,000 roses, 1,000 bullion of gold or 1,000 diamonds or 1,000 of

anything good is another story.

Yes, as I write this entry, we are three comments away from 1,000. And I

thank the Lord that you precious , encouraging and enlightening souls have seen

fit to take time and energy to "reach out and touch somebody's hand....to make this

a better world." And that somebody just happens to be me. Thank you.

In those 997 comments written so far are countless tears, smiles, prayers,

best wishes, inspirations, challenges, chastisements, visions, prophecies, poems

and powerful, poignant pieces of advice.

I'm looking forward to my 1,000th comment from you. Yes, one person will

write a comment that will be the thousandth of this blog. But you will be a symbol

of the whole pool because one of you is responsible for about 50 comments. Some

of you have sent dozens and dozens. Some of you wanted to write one, but wrote

none. Yet, heaven gives us credit for the desires of our hearts. It gives us credit

for what we mean to do rather what what we actually do. As such, this blog

has generated billions or maybe even trillions of impulses, good impulses. They

may have never gotten far enough to be made manifest in print or in voice, in tears

or cheers. But they still count if they help you in some way and you whisper or

just think something nice about this blog.

Thank you, sisters and brother. Thank you one and all. I want to thank each

of you at least 1,000 times. But this number would still be far, far too small to

begin to articulate my gratitude.

God bless you.