John knew he had liver cancer over 4 years ago. He continued to cherish his family and his life with them. In the last months he left the hospital and rehab to be with his family, who cared for him at home to the end. It's worth remembering what John told me when I talked to him while writing the class history. I also follow those words with a few lines that seem appropriate to John's spirit.

“You’re faced with yourself and you say ’this is it, boy’ and there’s no turning back and you have to deal with it. That’s when you really grow.”

“We all think we could have been better in our lives if we’d done it differently . . . I’ve done all the things I wanted to do in life. I wanted to be a successful horse trainer, and I think I was. And I wanted to own my own business. “

LATE OCTOBER
Listen, the damp leaves on the walks are blowing
With a ghost of sound;
Is it a fog or is it a rain dripping
From the low trees to the ground?

If I had gone before, I could have remembered
 Lilacs and green aftern-noons of May;
I chose to wait, I chose to hear from autumn
Whatever she has to say. (by Sara Teasdale) RIP