Steinbeck

I tried to give a toast to my friends at a party last night, and unfortunately I'm never really good at finding the right words on the spur of the moment. But here's a dedication Steinbeck wrote to a friend when he finished East of Eden:

Dear Pat,

You came upon me carving some kind of little figure out of wood and you said, "Why don't you make something for me?" I asked you what you wanted, and you said, "A box."
"What for?"
"To put things in."
"What things?"
"Whatever you have," you said.
Well, here's your box. Nearly everything I have is in it, and it is not full. Pain and excitement are in it, and feeling good or bad and evil thoughts and good thoughts - the pleasure of design and some despair and the indescribable joy of creation. And on top of these are all the gratitude and love I have for you. And still, the box is not full.

- John