Ok, how's this for not beating around the bush

Bob,

Let me make it nice and clear for you. I offered up an apology for having essentially done the same thing to you that I was stating you were doing to others; openly attacking you in a not-so-nice format. In turn you state sarcastically that I am "beating around the bush".

Well Bob, no beating around the bush here. No lost messages between the lines.

While you are obviously intelligent and have moments of greatness as you share your knowledge unfortunately somewhere along the way you lost one of the most important attributes any human can have; the ability to remain humble.

I myself have been greatly humbled of late. Throughout my career I have dealt with people who were afflicted with terrible injuries and illness and I was always fortunate enough to remain unscathed other than some terrible memories. Last week that all changed when my doctor told me I have the "C" word. Test are still being done to see just how bad things are and what my treatment my be but believe me suddenly I feel a great deal more mortal. In that light it is much easier for me to see plainly that I owed you an apology and that I needed to mend some of my ways.

Right now at the very least I am facing surgery and will probably also have to receive some radiation therapy. While the prognosis is really good for me I have still undergone some serious soul-searching of late. Life is indeed short and we all need to be civil to one-another; that's all Leslie has been asking and you know what....she was right all along.

Beating around the bush? No, Bob, I am simply trying to tell you that I DO respect your knowledge and your potential. But I cannot respect anyone who goes so out of their way to try to make themselves seem smarter by making others seem dumb.

To my friends out there who might be a little shocked by this post please believe me; what I have been diagnosed with, while serious, shouldn't be fatal. The doctors have assured me that we "caught it early" which means that the treatment should be less severe and the recovery will hopefully be a fast one. Let's just say that all of my "evil years" of going out in the sun with no sunscreen to surf and play golf finally caught up with me.

Those who know me know all too well that I am not using my sudden change in health status to make a point; I am instead using it to learn a little more about myself, about life in general, and about how I come across to others. And that is why I offered up an apology along with an explanation. As for asking my God for forgiveness, well there has ALWAYS been plenty of that throughout my life.