In 2004, nearly 300,000 people died as a result of a tsunami off the coasts of Indonesia and Sri Lanka.

In 2004, my sister gave birth to her first child:  a glorious and miraculous moment.

In 2004, Margaret Hassan, who had spent 30 years helping Iraqi children through CARE, was abducted and murdered by Iraqi insurgents, a consequence of the US invasion and occupation of Iraq.

In 2004, my son sat on the lawn of a local church among the 1000+ combat boots that represented the US dead in the Iraq war, in an American Friends Service Committee exhibition entitled "Eyes Wide Open."  I am grateful he is not old enough to be drafted.  I held him tightly that day.

In 2004, half the population of the United States did not vote for our current president and Ohio voted "yes" on Issue One to change our state constitution to exclude gays and lesbians from the right to marry or receive any of the benefits a marriage would allow.  Already, public defenders in Dayton and other Ohio cities are citing the exclusionary amendment as grounds for dismissal in current/pending domestic violence cases involving unmarried couples.

In 2004, it was pointed out to me that no matter whether you are riding valiantly atop the wave of life or huddled in despair on the underside of that wave, you are still moving forward.

("Tsunami, 2004" was included in the Dayton Visual Arts Center's annual arts auction.  One hundred percent of the proceeds for this painting went to DVAC, a non-profit organization supporting local artists.  For more information about DVAC, see their website at http://www.daytonvisualarts.org )