Some of you receiving this -- those who had specifically requested regular updates on Harvey's health -- have already seen the most significant news, regarding Harvey's passing. For the rest of you -- those not in the previously mentioned group of people, but who do receive a Harvey calendar each year -- I am sorry to report that sad news.

We are already making adjustments here to our lives, catching ourselves as we fall into old patterns that make no sense when Harvey is not around, getting used to his absence. Part of this gradual adjustment includes wider notification to Harvey's friends, and addressing some of the more mundane issues an event like this raises.

If you have not received the earlier health updates, you may be interested to read them now. If so, you may find them on our web site. The most recent one, sent the day he died, is here: Harvey update, one last time. Links to that, previous health updates, and other information can be found on this page: In Memoriam.

If you like, please feel free to read the web pages now, before continuing on to the rest of this email.

One issue that is raised by Harvey's death is the publication of the Harvey calendar. We are planning one last calendar, to help preserve his memory and serve as a part of our memorializing his life. Unfortunately, this calendar cannot be completed before the end of the year. We were running late anyway, with the distraction of caring for Harvey this last month, and a memorial calendar will consume even more time and effort than usually is required.

Because of this, there are three important things:

• First and foremost is our request to you to share your memory of Harvey with us.
  
  Since the calendar will be delayed anyway, I am hoping to incorporate as much of these memories as I can somehow into the calendar. I don't know exactly how yet, but I'll figure it out. :) Please send, via whatever means you prefer (email, postal service, whatever), any thoughts or memories of Harvey that come to mind and which you would like to share. If you would like to share but only with Debra and me, please do so, letting us know that your sharing is private so that I don't include it in the calendar. If you do intend inclusion in the calendar, please get them to us by December 22nd.
  
  
• Second, almost as important as the previous: we are willing to expand distribution of this calendar to include people who want a calendar but who did not get one last year.
  
  If you are not a regular recipient of the calendar, but want to receive the memorial calendar, please let me know. Due to the time it takes me actually print the calender (one page at a time on our ink jet printer), first-time recipients may wind up having to wait an additional week or so for a second "production run", if we get many takers on this offer. But I will do my best to get a calendar out to everyone who asks, in as timely a manner as possible (such as it is, seeing as how it's assured of not being timely in the first place). (And please note, I emphasize the word "want" here...please don't ask for a calendar just to make us feel better. Your own expression of sympathy is all that is needed for that. The calendar is a labor of love, a service we gladly provide to others for their benefit. If you don't feel that you will benefit from having the calendar, there's no need to request one :) ).
  
  
• Third, because of the delay of the calendar, I have posted on our web site a printable copy of the first month of next year.
  
  We understand the inconvenience to those of you who use the calendar to keep dates, as we do here at home, to not have the calendar soon enough to plan for the upcoming month. While this won't necessarily save you the trouble of having to copy dates from one calendar to another (though, I suppose you could just tape the printed page onto the calendar when you get it), at least you'll have somewhere to write the information until the actual calendar arrives. :) You can find the download links on the "In Memoriam" page, linked above.

As you can see, one thing Debra and I are trying to do is build a collection of ways to remember Harvey. One of the ways we are most excited about is to try to include as many of Harvey's friends as possible who are interested in charitable contributions to some relevant charities. As encouragement to donate in his name, Debra and I will be matching every dollar donated in his memory, one-for-one. (And if you get matching dollars from somewhere else as well, like if you work at Microsoft, so much the better :) ).

I was hoping to have the details settled by the time I sent this email, but we are still doing a little research, determining exactly which charities we will include in this matching offer. Once that's done, I'll send another email with the details and update the web site to include that information as well.

I think that's it for now. As usual, I'm finishing something too late at night, rather than waiting to complete it the next day. Sometimes, that results in me forgetting something. Like adding the intended recipients to the email headers. I apologize in advance if I wind up having to send some follow-up email tomorrow to fix some mistake I made tonight! :)

Pete

p.s. If you are receiving this email and wondering why, since you weren't getting the health updates, and you aren't a regular recipient of the Harvey calendar, it's because in spite of any oversight with respect to including you in one or the other of the first two groups (and admittedly, there's a fair overlap between those two), you are a known close friend with an interest in Harvey and we assume you are interested in this news. Every offer of remembrance in this email applies equally to you as well. There are no second-class citizens here!