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I realized that I wasn't by myself. A young man that I had seen several times in the past, was walking up to my stand and as he approached he said, "Is it 0 K if I come up too?" I said, "sure, come on!" What I was really thinking was,"Oh no I wanted to be alone." With a whole beach why does he want to share my stand? It didn't take long for my unspoken question to be answered. The young man said, as he sat next to me, "I always like to sit on this one - it's where I met my girl." I tried to think of something to say that would continue the conversation but decided I would rather return to my quiet solitude. But the young man continued unbidden. "My Ruthie was the light of my life". I decided to respond rather than be rude - "You say she was - has she left you?" "Well, not by choice. She died." I said, "I'm sorry". "Oh, don't be sorry. It's O.K. I'm not saying that I don't miss her something fierce but when I think how blessed I am I can't really be sad. You see,to be sad I would have to forget that, before I met Ruthie, I was homeless, miserable, unhappy, suicidal, and living every day as though I were a victim. And then I got to know her and everything changed - well, almost everything. I'm still homeless but everything in my thinking changed. I have purpose in my life, I am grateful to be alive. I am very happy and I am certainly not a victim."

The young man had gotten my attention. Even though I was not homeless I certainly was miserable, unhappy, sometimes even bordering on suicidal. And I was definitely living every day as though l were a victim. In fact, the very idea that I could be in my situation and NOT be a victim was absolutely foreign to my way of thinking. And when he said that he was changed now to the point where he has purpose in life, is grateful to be alive, and is happy, I certainly found myself listening intently to whatever he might have to say next.

"By the way, I'm John Gilmore," I said. "I'm Latch Campbell", he returned. We shook hands. "I am really interested in what you just said, Latch. I mean the part about your life changing and you not feeling miserable and like a victim anymore. I could sure use some of that myself." "Well", said Latch, "Ruthie taught me that no situation in your life, even terminal illness, can make you unhappy unless you let it. Nothing that happens to you, whether you brought it on yourself or whether it just seemed to come on you for no apparent reason - nothing that happens to you can make you a victim

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