Update From the Wolf Den: Thank You Peter, Paul, and Mary

This is a rather unorthodox Update From the Wolf Den, but nonetheless an appropriate one, as my focus lately seems to be all the peripheral things that appear out of the diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome. Not just for our son, but all the sons and daughters in the United States and across the world, and their parents, as they struggle through a life of being "different".

Mary Travers died yesterday. She was better known as the 'Mary' in the 1960's folk group 'Peter, Paul, and Mary', adding her rich voice to that of her partners'. Like many kids of the 1960's and 70's, I grew up with their music. 'Puff the Magic Dragon', 'If I Had a Hammer', and many, many others. We all knew the words and sang with all our might at church retreats and summer camp, and along with the record player in our bedrooms. It was the ultimate in sing-along cool to know all of their tunes.

Yukon, during one of his Amazon.com searches late at night, as he is wont to do in the wintertime, came across a "Best of" album that features not only PP&M's early versions of famous tunes, but also added an extra at the end. I listened to it once. Then again. And again.

Here is the chorus...

"Don't laugh at me
Don't call me names
Don't get your pleasure from my pain
In God's eyes we're all the same
Someday we'll all have perfect wings
Don't laugh at me"

This song is now part of the American Camping Association's fixed list of sing-along songs at their summer camps.