Today, I was able to go back to the office after about six days of ill health. I won't bore you with the all details, but not only did I have a touch of the flu, I wound up with a hefty sinus infection and walking pneumonia. I'm doing better now, although fatigue continues to slow me down.

I was very surprised and humbled by the many expressions of well wishes I found in my e-mail box when I returned to the office today. I do appreciate them and I certainly thank you for your kind thoughts.

I do want to take this opportunity, however, to ask you to move Roger Bennett to the top of your prayer list. If you'll visit the News section of the Singing News home page on the web, you can read the information about what he is battling.

I also ask you to keep Debbie, Chelsea and Jordan in your prayers. Even though Roger is fighting a hard war of his own, the rest of the Bennetts have their own battles to deal with. They have been with Roger every step of the way of this ordeal and their strength has been an inspiration to Roger. But like Roger, they could use the encouragement that comes through prayers.

For many years, Roger has been voted as Favorite Pianist in the Singing News Fan Awards. But Roger is just more than a good pianist - he's a super person and those who know him the best realize that he is a very caring individual. There's no doubt in my mind that he's worried more about his family than himself during this time.

Those of us who know Roger also know that he can be hard-headed (boy, I'll pay for that one later!)when he wants to be, so no matter how many times his family tells him not to worry about them, he's continued to do so. So, let's ease Roger's mind a little bit by letting him know we're praying for his family just as much as we're praying for him.

Roger, Debbie, Chelsea and Jordan: we love y'all and we're praying for you.