On the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, after crossing the Kuszciosko Bridge, heading toward the Williamsburg Bridge, there is a sign on top of a ramshackle building.

The sign reads: "John Ottati - 1900." That's all!

As I pass that sign, again and again, I try to guess the mind-set of Mr. Ottati when he placed that message on his building. Was he a poor immigrant from Italy who wanted to show the world that he had succeeded in America? Was he placing his name on a building to ensure his immortality? "As long as this edifice stands, I will be remembered." I don't know and I probably will never know Mr. Ottati's intentions.

As in Keats' Ozymandius, we view vain attempts to be measured for all time. In the desert, among ruins, is found part of a statue. On it is inscribed: "My name is Ozymandius, King of Kings, look on my works ye mighty and despair." All around lies empty sand and desolation. Are John Ottati and Ozymandius seeking the same elusive goal, immortality?

Immortality has two definitions - one, "not prone to death" and two, "remembered for all time."

Men seek immortality following a variety of paths - acquiring riches, and striving for fame among them. These methods will almost always ultimately fail.

In 1747 Thomas Gray wrote in Elegy Written in a Country Courtyard, "The paths of glory lead but to the grave." It is no less true as we enter the third millennium.

Concentrate on family, your children and grandchildren. Immortality lies with them. They will carry your good deeds and ideas into the future.

That little baby in the stroller is your best chance to be remembered.

Happy holidays!