For it was yesterday morning that I arose quite early for my first full day in Taipei, still exhausted by the long trip and just a bit disoriented. I drew a bath and luxuriated in the early morning peace and quiet, alone with my own thoughts --- including a mental review of my presentation to you today.

Completing my relaxing hour, I emerged from my bath and towelled dry. Realising I was automatically moving about without my glasses, I reached for them back on the edge of the tub.

They were not there!

They were not where I was certain I had placed them.

I could not find those glasses !

My mind was utterly blank... Where could I have left my all-important glasses?

I ran my hands along the rim of the tub, then along all the counters. I searched the bedroom, then the floors, on my hands and knees, becoming ever more concerned.

No luck. There was no panic, as I knew they had to be in my suite somewhere; after all, I could not have consciously negotiated my way back to my room without them. But I could not see them... I simply could not find my glasses!

After twenty minutes of fruitless searching, I realized I was once again rendered utterly helpless, because I was incapable of finding those glasses that I knew just had to be right out in plain view to anyone else.

So, albeit reluctantly, because I despised very thought of being dependent upon someone else for my sight -- even temporarily -- I called the concierge, requesting that someone come up and find my spectacles for me.

He did... Easily.... In seconds!

This unexpected occurrence --- my needing to call upon others to aid in restoring my sight reminded me once again just how fortunate I really am. Nearly a decade after my own sight was restored, I was humbled by my good fortune just in time to pass that reminder on to all of you here today.

Was that, again, mere coincidence -- or was it Fate? --- I wonder.....

That experience has helped me to focus as well on the need for me to relate to you just how I see Rotary's role --- since so many other organizations also are involved in the delivery of sight services.

Let me suggest that Rotary and Rotarians are both complementary and unique to professional, voluntary and other service organizations. We are especially unique in that Rotary alone can pull together a combination of community and financial resources to maximize the effectiveness of funds raised for specific projects. Rotarians can be held to a higher standard than the population in general because our actions are - and ought to be - governed by the Four-Way Test of the Things we Think, Say and Do! Rotarians can monitor projects more effectively because of our almost ubiquitous presence in most parts of the world. Rotarians are expected to be successful because of the reputation we have earned over nearly ninety years of Service Above Self to others.

And our system of pairing donor and recipient clubs in projects from distant parts of the world is an unmatched resource in creating effective communications and maintaining relationships that result in sustainable projects.

We also have a most powerful tool of financial leverage through the Rotary Foundation Matching Grant Programme.

I invite many questions as to just why I wear a US Two Dollar Bill on my lapel.

It's a reminder; a simple reminder of just how much we can do together that none of us could possibly accomplish by ourselves. --- After all, two dollars certainly is not worth much, no matter the currency - not Taiwanese, Hong Kong, Kiwi, Aussie, or even US.

By itself, that $2.00 is IN-SIG-NI-FI-CANT !!!

Consider, if you will, the value of US$2.00 if each Rotarian would commit only that minimum amount each week of this and every Rotary year to the Rotary Foundation. -- That's 52 weeks, -- US$2 each week, -- US$104 for the year, for each Rotarian --- all one-million- two-hundred-thousand of us, each and every year.

Collectively, we would almost triple [*] the current level of contributions to the Rotary Foundation, with an amount that everyone can easily afford --- an amount that few of us would even miss individually, it's such an IN-SIG-NI-FI-CANT amount!

Think of it - each giving only their own small share, and giving more collectively than ever before on an annual basis, even without any major gifts.

What about those who already are Paul Harris Fellows? No matter. The need goes on each year, so the giving must go on. And if some choose to give more each year than the minimum $104, that's just a bonus for the Foundation and to the credit of the more generous donors.

But most importantly, with just $2 a week, each Rotarian shares the burden fairly and equally. --- Not by making LARGE donations, but rather by each making a meaningful contribution to the whole. Truly, our participation in this manner makes the whole FAR greater than the sum of its mere $2.00 parts... and in this manner, we ALL have an equal right to feel good about our role in contributing to such an increased whole.

With just $2 each week from each of us, we will be able to triple our commitment to World Fund financing of 3-H, Carl Miller and other humanitarian grants - including eye projects!

If we can restore the sight of 10,000 in Türkiye with just $40,000 of Foundation funds, just consider what we can do elsewhere.

It has been said many times, but it bears repeating: We, in Rotary, can do anything - anything we choose to do ... anything we believe in! Because we know - that Rotary changes peoples' lives!

I truly believe that we can do more by working together than we ever can individually. And I believe this begins with specific commitment to a achievable and measurable goals. We each can do all this by doing our fair share -- no more, no less, by universally committing just $2 a week in support of our own Foundation.

Do you see this vision? ...I hope and pray that you do!

Because my eyes -- my Gift of Sight --- have seen the glory of what we can accomplish as Rotarians --- and its value to us. For REAL HAPPINESS IS HELPING OTHERS --- and that, I believe --- is the true vision of Rotary.

One night in the grip of the winter, with my wife out of town, a blizzard was forecast. Knowing just how perilously low we were on food reserves, I knew we simply had to get to the market for food. Well over a mile away, I called every cab company in town, but bad weather had the taxis overbooked. Already snowing, I told my younger daughter to hop into the old Porsche and be my "eyes."

After all, I could see light - each street lamp looked to me like thousands of Christmas tree lights! Car lights the same, and red, yellow and green signal lights came at me as hundreds of other pinpoints of light each. We made it to the market uneventfully, my daughter picking out our food, and started home.

I had chosen the route with only two major turns, on the brightest-lit streets to help my ten-year-old daughter to see better. The first turn was a breeze, a right turn at a signal onto the main east-west street. The second was a left turn across traffic, also at a signal light, to go down a lightly-used side street. I knew the roads well, and was pleased with our unimpeded progress as we carefully approached the second signal on a red light - I was the first car in line.

my daughter confirmed there was no traffic coming up the side street, so I pulled across the line of oncoming traffic stopped at the red light making my turn before the oncoming light turned green. I was just congratulating myself on having "beaten" the heavy traffic and making it safely onto the side street with a straight shot towards home when I heard the siren.

The first car in the oncoming line was a policeman! -- And he immediately turned and came after me.

Knowing my driver's license was easily identified by its plastic cover, I pulled it out before the officer even approached the car. It was snowing heavily, and I apologized to him immediately for getting him out in this heavy weather.

"Why did you cut across me on the red like that?" he demanded.

I couldn't have been more calm, solicitous, or logical. Looking directly up at him, I replied, "Because, Officer, with all the bad weather, I knew that my car waiting to turn left was just another obstruction in the roadway, and a potential traffic hazard."

"Don't you know there's no excuse for jumping the light," he retorted angrily.

"You're absolutely correct, Officer," I agreed. It was obvious that sound logic regarding the bad weather conditions wasn't going to cut any ice with him.

"Lemme see your license," he commanded.

"Yes, Sir," I responded with no further comment.

He proceeded to write me the ticket for an illegal left turn, telling me he was doing me a favor by not adding in the charge of running a red light. I thanked him, holding back a smile.

He then thrust the citation through the window. "Sign here," he commanded. I saw the movement and reached for what I knew must be a citation book. Grabbing it with my left hand, I fumbled for my own pen with my right, not knowing he was holding out his own pen toward me. But my eyes were cast downward as if I were "looking" inside my own coat, and found mine just as he offered his own pen, saying, "Here!." Little did he know that I hadn't the faintest idea where "Here" was!

I started to sign at the bottom of the page, and he immediately objected. "Not there," he said disgustedly, "on the line." He paused, ever so briefly, and through my head went the obvious question of someone in my predicament - where was the line - where was I to sign the citation?

" - Up here!" And my left hand could just feel where he tapped his finger.

So I signed, in a large, flowing script that covered at least an inch or more of the page.

"Hrrrmmmmph," he snorted, "You certainly have a large signature."

"Well," I concluded, "I was wrong to jump the light and there's no use denying it. I'll be down to Mayfield (the location of the Municipal Court) to pay this just as soon as the weather passes."

My daughter never could understand why I laughed so hard as we watched a "blind" cop getting back into his car to turn around and continue his protection of the Heights. I was still laughing as I slowly pulled away from the curb and drove the remaining two blocks to my home, turning carefully into our narrow driveway from instinct and experience.....

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