weekly email from February 20, 2009

Hello friends & loved ones,

Believe it or not, March is looming right around the corner and I'm reminded of the phrase "In like a lion, out like a lamb", and I'm hoping that this year that saying will prove a falsity. March is always unpredictable and has a history of giving us some nasty storms.

I'm betting that the term unpredictable has been on the mind of Hartford, CT resident Charla Nash this week.

In case you haven't heard, Nash was brutally mauled this past week by a friend's 15-year old, 200-lb pet chimpanzee. Travis, who years ago was featured in commercials for Coca-Cola and Old Navy, had escaped the house and Sandra Herold, Travis's owner, called Nash to help get Travis back in.

When Nash arrived, Travis brutally attacked Nash's hands and face. Herold stabbed Travis several times to get him off her friend but to no avail. 911 was called and when police did arrive, several officers also sustained injuries during the course of trying to wrangle Travis. Travis was eventually shot to death.

The belief is that Travis had Lyme disease and was reacting to the medication he was on. His owner tried to calm Travis's agitation earlier in the day with a Xanax in his tea.Travis, who was quite well-known in the neighborhood was quite talented. He could open car doors and ride around like a real person, take his own bath, ate at the table, drank wine from a stemmed glass, controlled the remote while watching television and could even log onto the computer.

Granted, this is what people call a freak accident but one woman's life is probably changed forever and another woman lost her beloved pet. Life is so fragile-as friends and family of passengers on Continental flight 3407 know all too well-and no matter how much planning, preparation or safety measures we put into each day, we really have no idea when we too might be changed forever.

I think there is another lesson to be learned in this story: Don't have a chimpanzee for a pet. Obviously Travis's owner never watched The Jeff Corwin Experience. Yes, they are very bright creatures and can be quite entertaining but that doesn't mean they should be domesticated.

Whatever you do in the days ahead or the coming week-don't forget to savor every moment of life and pray for each other as I pray for each of you. As always, stay safe, stay healthy and stay happy.

love,

paul