A man was walking on the beach the morning after a storm. Thousands of starfish had washed up on the shore, and were now starting to dry out and die.

As he walked, he came upon another man who was picking starfish up one at a time and throwing them back into the water.

With a quizical look, he commented to the man throwing starfish, "There are so many of them, you can't save them all, what you are doing is not important."

The second man picked up a starfish, and as he was about to throw it back into the water, said, "That is correct, I can't save them all, but I can save THIS ONE, and to IT (him/her?), it's a very important life to save."

"Furthermore," he added, "If you help me," he continued, "twice as many of these very important lives can be saved."

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No, we can't save them all. It was painful, but I came to realize that it was there lives, and as much as I loved them (family members, friends), I have to give them the freedom to make their own choices. The one ironic thing about ER4YT is that it is totally up to the person, there is no potion, lotion, drug, surgery or procedure to take - and many people are unwilling to accept the responsibility of taking care of their own bodies and spirits (that's what we have doctors and religions for, respectively.

best wishes,

steve shapiro