"Tell'em you love'em"

Today has been an amazing "28hs" day. I had extra time at work and looked up the Lydians which led me to Croesus and the first coins, stamped with a picture of a ruler, used as money, which led me to Cyrus (both of them) which led me to the Massagetae and their queen, Tomyris, who defeated Cyrus III and supposedly used his skull to drink from, which led me to the Female Worthies which led me to Semiramis whom I remember from a Rossini opera which led me to the Nine Worthies, nine men who epitomized the ideal of chivalry (Hector, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Joshua, David, Judas Maccabeus, King Arthur, Charlemagne and Godfrey of Bouillon) as popularized by Jacques de Longuyon in 1312 when he wrote the Voeux du Paon - all that in 45 minutes, thanks to the Internet and the incredible wealth of information so quickly available.

The process described above reminded me of a song, "Dem Bones" or "Dry Bones" - " the toe bone's connected to the foot bone, the foot bone's connected to the ankle bone, the ankle bone's connected to the leg bone........" - a song best sung around a campfire by 12-year-old girls.

Now, this book and the intellectual quest I have undertaken are both much more fun. And to make it even more "authentic", I am using a typical composition book, with the marble covers (now made in Asia, but otherwise the same), and a fountain pen!

But, the title of today's post stems from a letter I received today. When I thought about working my way through this book, I naturally thought about all the wonderful teachers I had had and that many of them never knew how grateful I was for their efforts.

So, I decided to write to the man I most admire, a man whose erudition and compassion had a profound effect on me, and more importantly, on my sons. He read my letter and answered it, thanking me for my comments.

If there is someone you admire, do take the time to write and tell them. Take the time to write in long-hand. When he, she or they have touched your life, they deserve to know it.

Tomorrow, the Dorians - I think!