I have seen the Sun set through breaking rain clouds over the Tetons, I have seen the Sun rise over the cloudless tops of the Smokey Mountains. I have seen the crescent Moon hang over the bottom-lit castle of Budapest from a boat on the Danube. I have watched the Sun kiss its mirror image over the waters of Lake Michigan and seen the Sun dance through the mist of Niagara Falls. I have seen a small boy give his favorite toy to someone less fortunate than he. I have seen the smile of a dying mother blessing me with her love for the rest of my life without her. I have witnessed selflessness and love and beauty all through my life and I know that I am blessed in having done so…and yet everything seems so empty.

I long to wake up in the morning only to turn my head and look into the eyes of a woman that I love and who loves me too. I long to be accepted for who I am, my faults all forgiven. I long to live in a world where peace is the norm and war ancient history. I long to see a place where there is no hunger, no hatred, no lack of need, a place where everyone is honest and true and happy. I long to see everyone treated as individuals rather than a member of this class or that, a place where those individuals are treated humanely and not exploited for the rest of us. I long to see a world free of hurt, full of love, and I long to feel the same way.