On Sun, 7 Mar 2004, David Silberstein wrote: #On Thu Mar 4th, 2004 7:31 PM, Steve Brust weblogged: # #] Today I took my dog, Miska, to the vet and had him put to #] sleep. It's astonishing that I could have reached 48 years of #] age without ever going through this before. He's been with me #] since, I believe, 1986. He had a good life. I'm a wreck. I'm sorry for you, Steve. My cousin just sent me a short column he had written (http://www.boss-wijnhoven.nl/start.htm -- Click on Columns). I think it helps me understand. ----------- We are not alone by Richard Weissberg I have always wanted to be one of those people abducted by aliens. I am willing to put up with almost any indignity they might inflict if only I could meet and commune with another sentient species. Take me! Take me! But they haven't. In late 1999 my wife became ill. A few months later, I decided that pet therapy would be a good idea, so I brought home a dog. I was not a dog person, but I knew that I would be able to put up with having the creature in my house if it would help the woman I loved. Then two strange things happened. First, I, who initially thought that dogs have brains not unlike goldfish, fell in love with a dog. Second, as I got to know the dog, I realized that I was getting my lifelong wish: I was communing with a sentient alien species that was definitely not human, but still had feelings, intelligence, and a soul. Now my wife is well again, and I would still like to meet the aliens. But this has been a very valuable lesson for me: we are not alone. © 2004 Boss & Wijnhoven --------- -- Mark A. Mandel