Just two years ago a student brought this evocative You-tube posting to my humanities class to share. Since over 470,000 people have viewed just this video, the combination of Don McLean's "Starry, Starry Night" with a montage of the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh is more than compelling.



There are no words to explain what we feel when someone we love dies, though we may try. We fall back on cliches and sometimes song. The Greeks spoke their poetry; the Celts call speaking from the heart, mouth-song. Here, the technology brings together a visual summary of Van Gogh's works with song, a moving tribute.

Artists and writers often work without recognition. What gives any person the strength to persevere through self-doubt? A friend told me to simply persevere. Perhaps what I see in my mind will never make it to paper, but parts will. Perhaps no one will read my work, but I'm writing, have a wonderful open office in which to write, and time without the pressure of a day job, so I can say, so far, most days, all goes well.