Housekeeping 

By TAD BARTIMUS

This is the week we set the record straight. 

Our old year is all tuckered out, its decisions made and emotions spent, its mistakes glossed over and small victories won. It's time to make amends, tidy up, mea culpa our way into a fresh calendar full of blank squares just waiting to be filled up.

Before we ring in the New Year, I want to look back at columns written and errors committed, and set the record straight:

To the more than 18,000 patriots who served in the U.S. Marine Corps Women's Reserve during World War II, my deepest apology for not mentioning your service in a story about The Women's Memorial in Washington, D.C. Like the WAVES, WACS, women in the Coast Guard and Women Airforce Service Pilots, you helped win the war. My omission was accidental, but it did give me a chance to hear many of your remarkable personal stories. Thank you for writing.

To readers who thought I was pro-Castro and readers who were sure I was anti-Castro, I can say only that none of us knows for sure what is best for Elian Gonzalez. We can only hope that this motherless little boy finds happiness as he makes his way in this tumultuous world. 

Remember when I predicted "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" was just a fad? And tech stocks would keep going up? Enough said.

To all the Bobby Knight loyalists who called me names to make a seasoned sailor blush, I want you to know I threw your mail in the trash. (P.S., I was right!)

IF my friend Johnny France hadn't caught my hand as I went whirling past him in the current of the Madison River last summer, and IF he hadn't held on to me for dear life, I wouldn't be writing AMONG FRIENDS, and you wouldn't be reading this. Once again, John - thanks.

I thought THE KISS would be enough to get Vice President Gore elected president. It wasn't. But more kisses like that one should help ease the pain of defeat. Good luck, Al and Tipper, wherever life takes you. As for Bill and Hillary? As they say on the Soaps, the saga continues ... 

Thank you, fellas, for all of your letters responding to my column about how I celebrate life's important events with a red plate handed down from my mother which says "You Are Special Today." Dozens of male readers wrote to say they've continued family celebrations after the women who started them passed on. Bravo to such brave hearts for carrying on traditions, and thank you for sharing them with AMONG FRIENDS.

Speaking of letters, I urge all readers to tell editors what you like and don't like in your newspaper. Everybody grumbles about the paper so why not influence its content? I often hear editors wonder if readers like AMONG FRIENDS; if you do, please speak up. A passive newspaper consumer is liable to wake up one morning and find his or her favorite features gone forever if they don't express an opinion. Make a New Year's resolution to phone, write or e-mail your feedback to your newspaper's editors; you can make a difference!

To all who wrote asking if Bruce Springsteen had invited me to sing backup after I confessed to this long-held fantasy, the disappointing answer is NO. But a girl can still dream, can't she?

The banana nut bread recipe is available at www.tadfriends.com or by writing to AMONG FRIENDS, P.O. Box 728, Puunene, Hawaii 96784.
Finally, to the thousands of you who've made me laugh, made me cry and made me think: your letters and e-mails continue to enrich my life, and I am lucky to count you AMONG FRIENDS. Keep the mail coming and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

© 2001 The Women Syndicate

Visit TAD at www.tadbartimus.com and send your own great stories – 300 words or less – to friends@tadbartimus.com or write c/o The Women Syndicate, P.O. Box 728, Puunene, Hawaii 96784. Thanks for sharing.

© 2001 The Women Syndicate. The content on these pages is the property of The Women Syndicate and may not be used without express written permission. Contact friends@tadbartimus.com