From Emily

Dear Ann and Rud,

This poem has long been a favorite. It reminds me of the extraordinary power of the ordinary – the small miracles of each day that we can’t take for granted. I believe these ordinary and stunning connections are the meaning of life.

In thinking about JT, I am struck by how many lives he touched in his everyday presence. Even something as small as a handshake has left a lasting impression on every human being fortunate enough to receive one of his signatures. I’ll never forget the enthusiasm of his hand in mine.

JT is a gem of a human being whose brilliance has touched not only the community of Lawrence, but also the U.S. Congress members fortunate enough to witness Rud’s testimony and the millions of people with disabilities impacted by JT’s example of living each day on his own terms.

In the spirit of this poem, JT is famous and his hand is forever famous to mine.

Sending you all my love,
Emily

Famous

The river is famous to the fish.

The loud voice is famous to silence,
Which knew it would inherit the earth
Before anybody said so.

The cat sleeping in the fence is famous to the birds
watching him from the birdhouse.
The tear is famous, briefly, to the cheek.
The idea you carry close your bosom
is famous to your bosom.
The boot is famous to the earth,
more famous than the dress show,
which is famous only to floors.
The bent photograph is famous to the one who carries it
and is not at all famous to the one who is pictured.
I want to be famous to shuffling men
who smile while crossing streets,
sticky children in grocery lines,
famous as the one who smiled back.
I want to be famous in the way a pulley is famous,
or a buttonhole, not because it did anything spectacular,
but because it never forgot what it could do.

Naomi Nye