December 25, 1997

Once upon a time, in Round Top, Texas, we found this little poem, among twelve others, in an old 1947 calendar which we would like to offer to all of you, Swans' readers, with our thanks for your loyal following and our best wishes for 1998:

        And while peace and plenty I find at my board
        With a heart free from sickness and sorrow
        With my friends may I share what To-day may afford
        And let them spread the table To-morrow.
           -- J. Collins

But for a few of you, we know very little of our readers. We know you are from Australia, Japan, a couple of European countries and, of course, from the USA, and we know that you visit Swans quite regularly. That's all we know and it suffices because you are the most satisfying reward for our efforts and challenges. Your readership nurtures our persistence in endeavoring to bring to you our discourse, at times facetiously or irreverently, at times passionately or seriously but always, we hope, with quality and intellectual honesty.

The simple fact that you take a few minutes of your time to read Swans, in this age of information overload, gives this venture all its worth.

"1998 is going to be good -- I can feel it," wrote Jan, my partner in crime and life, in her Special Holiday Greetings card. Swans will be part of it, in a new and refocused format that we hope you'll enjoy and appreciate. We will continue to bring you the news and our opinions -- all the news and all the opinions that we see fit to print!

So, with our wholehearted thanks for your continued support we say to you: Rendez-vous in 1998.

And be your hearts free of sickness and sorrow, your tables well spread and your minds alive.