Well said Ken.
Charlie
On Mon, Aug 30, 2010 at 10:19 AM, Ken Norton <ken@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > In my wildest dreams, I could never have imagined the kindness and
> > generosity others have shown me.
>
> That's the story of my life. Thank you, Bill. My wife and I do as much
> as we can to be a blessing to others. Sometimes, it's a bag of
> groceries (we've been the recipient of such when we had no groceries
> in the house so we know the feeling), money, or even a $7000 vehicle.
> In most cases, it was still a sacrifice to give. It's easy to give out
> of your own largess, but when you give from your own cupboard, from
> your own limited resources, it takes on a different life.
>
> Giving isn't about the recipient, it's about yourself. We can get all
> upset that a gift wasn't acknowledged, appreciated, etc., but is it
> really about them? Sometimes, yes, but more often than not it's about
> yourself.
>
> I've probably shared this before, but the day I got this mystery
> package, opened it up and found a shiny OM-3Ti tucked inside, I balled
> like a baby. OK, maybe not that much crying, but it was incredibly
> emotional. Speechless with heavy rains. When I called Wayne up, I
> could barely whisper, much less carry on a conversation. I've since
> had at least one other similar conversation with him. I can only hope
> that my return friendship during his own time of need has been
> sufficient.
>
> Jim Timpe and James Olsen provided me with an OM-4T, that had an
> incredibly profound effect on me. This is the gift camera that
> completely reawakened me to the world of film. Had it not been for
> that camera, I'd have bought an E-3 and abandoned film entirely. The
> timing was incredible (literally weeks before the E-3 purchase) and I
> never had a second thought. My photography has undergone a revival as
> well as my love for photography. The OM-4T(Ti) was the one OM camera I
> always wanted, but remained just out of reach. The OM-3Ti was beyond
> my wildest dreams, so that one was just too far out. Again, the
> telephone conversation with awkward silence and snivelling has been
> repeated a couple of times.
>
> Others on this list, of whom I've been the recipient of their
> generosity include Bill Barber, Joel Wilcox and former list member Tom
> Scales.
>
> Probably the greatest "giving" that I've been a recipient of here, is
> the friendship of several individuals. I'll pick on Tom for a moment.
> Tom was a tremendous friend to me when my wife was battling cancer. I
> apprecate him more than anybody could know. Joel has also known me
> through my trials and tribulations and has been the friend I've
> needed. The friendship with Bill is unique and the adage "iron
> sharpens iron" comes to mind. Bill has stretched me more this past
> year than I've been stretched in a decade.
>
> My wife has wondered why the Olympus List is so unique and what it
> means to me. I've only managed to describe it is "we're a bunch of
> friends from all over the world who happen to have been brought
> together through the pretenses of a camera system. The Olympus List is
> anything but about Olympus cameras. We discusss them, sure, but it's
> really the fact that we are friends.
>
> And what's a little OM among friends?
>
> AG
> --
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>
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