This is the more serious side of a two volume memoir, "Oops." being the other half. It is an effort, in case I am not around, to describe me for my granddaughter through my view of others. This collection of essays, poems and short prose explores family, people I have met or just noticed, people whose lives inspire mine, people whose lives have taught me how to be a better caring person in a world that all too often seems not to care. Mine is not a life that has known abuse, addiction, prison, violence or poverty. Similarly, I have not known grand material wealth though I have always been rich. I have been the beneficiary of love and sacrifice, the comfort of family, the dedication of friends. There has been disappointment to be sure, as well as sickness and loss but these are normal, parts of the life we all lead. This book is an effort to understand the gifts I have been given, and continue to receive, and to give my thanks for them.