A Song in the Night

by Bob Massie

  I owe a special debt to the additional doctors, physical therapists, technicians, and especially the extraordinary nurses who gave generously of their time and talent to help me survive, endure, and recover after many medical challenges. I know I speak for everyone they have touched, standing rank upon rank to the horizon, when I say thank you.

  A large circle of family and friends gathered around us over the past ten years to lift us up and move us forward. Our neighbor Ed Lavelle, who can fix anything, took care of many necessary repairs to our old house. My sister Elizabeth stepped in to gather information and rally support at a moment when we had nearly lost hope. All the other members of Anne’s family and mine made unique and important contributions. The members of St. James’s Episcopal Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts, cared for us over many years, offering us meals, prayers, friendship, and innumerable acts of gentle support. My sons, Sam and John, provided vital help and affection even as they set out on their excellent new paths in life. During the past few years, when I was struggling and recovering from illness, my daughter, Kate, showed strength, patience, and compassion far beyond her years, and she has blossomed into an extraordinary young woman. Katie, the dedication of this book will show you that I listen to you (and love you) more than you will ever know.

  The person who cared the most, bore the most, worried the most, and loved the most has been my wife, Anne. She was present through all the hidden suffering and joy. A beacon of hope at all moments, she guided me through and brought me home.

  The arcing years align in sight

  to bathe us both in blessing light;

  They help us see beneath the smile;

  beneath the mind, the will, the guile;

  Beneath the swirl of gives and takes;

  beneath the grief, missteps, mistakes

  To find ourselves by grace subdued

  returned, restored, reborn, renewed.

  And so to you, my dearly wife,

  I deed my longing, love, and life.

  A NOTE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  BOB MASSIE is an American environmental leader, author, Episcopal priest, and former anti-apartheid activist. He created or led three of the world’s leading sustainability organizations: Ceres, the Global Reporting Initiative, and the Investor Network on Climate Risk. His book Loosing the Bonds: The United States and South Africa in the Apartheid Years won the Lionel Gelber Prize for the best book on international relations in 1998.

  ALSO BY BOB MASSIE

  Loosing the Bonds