Okay well, yesterday was a beautiful day... a few hundred of us were hangin' out. Havin' a good time.

Then, summer thunderstorm! Chased us all out of the park.

40 minutes later... the beautiful day resumed operation but we were all on our way elsewhere.

(Oh, man!)

Anyway, the good news is this. I'm gonna be up in Riverside Park TODAY for the second concert there. The music will probably start around 1:00 and I'll just keep playing and singing until 5:00 or 5:30. Okay?

Yeah, yeah... I know it's not Central Park. But, y'know, a wise old woman once told me, "David, change is easy. Resisting change is a son-of-a-bitch." So, listen... if you're not doing anything today and you were looking forward to hangin' out in Central Park like we always do, why don't you just head on up to Riverside and check it out.

I'm gonna pull a bunch of tunes out of my hat that you probably haven't heard in a long time. And, I wanna play some songs that I wrote over the winter but haven't gone into the studio yet to record for another CD.

Um... oh yeah. If you don't know where you're going, here's a map.

If you walk in the entrance to Riverside Park at the end of 103rd Street, off Riverside Drive, it's RIGHT THERE! Hope I see you today. I might give "Dodger" a call and see if he feels like sittin' in.

I know there are people reading this all across the country and in diferent parts of the world. You're all welcome to jump into the message board (Forum) over there and say "Hi". (I poked my head in there last night and noticed that "Claudia" from Germany was wondering where everyone disappeared to.) Y'know, it's there for you guys... to talk about whatever you want.... music, movies, Love, sex, world events. (Hasn't been a whole lotta talk about Love or sex in the past year.) But, yeah, talk about whatever you want.

Hey, this week I'm hoping I'll have a bit more to tell you guys about the concert we're planning for this winter to raise some money and get direct help to the civilians... the mothers and fathers, the children... the children whose lives are being destroyed in Iraq.

Y'know, last month, because of this WAR... 78 American families lost sons and daughters in the fighting there... 78 in June alone. But, in that same month, over 800 Iraqi families have had their sons and daughers killed. Do you have ANY idea how many others are being wounded beyond words in each bombing and attack... but surviving?

No... me either.

Because the American military doesn't keep track of them.

One of my sisters just reminded me of something this past week. (I'll paraphrase) "800 deaths is a statistic. ONE death is a tragedy."

Well, thousands and thousands of these kids are being hurt so badly in the bombings and the violence that it defies description. But, there is a woman who has made several trips into Iraq and has been bringing some of these people to the States for medical help... one at a time.

This woman.

Elissa Montanti

She needs help.

These people need help.

Our help.

100,000 is a statistic. One is a tragedy.

But, ONE is also a miracle.

Ahmed is the latest of eight Iraqi children to have received treatment because of Elissa's work. Although he is still blind, he was given a set of wonderful prosthetic eyes, thanks to Annette Kirszrot, B.C.O. He was also given a new arm. Ahmed will return in 8 months for plastic surgery on his face.

C'mon... I hope you all make a point of checking in at this website every day to find out how this project is progressing. Because very soon, I will be asking YOU for help, too.

Okay?

Anyway... whatever you're doing today, really enjoy it. But, keep this project in the back of your mind, okay? You might come up with an idea, or a connection, or a resource we're looking for. Something that will make the next miracle just a little easier.

Maybe I'll see you out in Riverside Park, today.

Oh yeah... Elissa Montanti, the woman in those photos, might actually be in town to check out the music in Riverside Park today, too.

Thanks for everything.