Do not fear, my friends.

   
    The year is ending and there is so much to say, with so little words. I shall fall back on what I once wrote when I turned twenty-one, 

A whole life awaits. Do not fear, my friends. For fear of the things we cannot control is like trying to control a tooth ache. All of you are so brave and beautiful.

   (And four years later, I do fear. I do want to control pain. I do sometimes want to hide in hidden pockets of time, where the world won't change, but I get a day of uninterrupted peace and sleep. I do wonder what will happen, and when it does, if I would be brave enough. But, most of all, my friends, who are still here, to listen to me say this once more. All of you are so brave and beautiful).