Saturday-November 6, 2021

Dear Marion,

  The first frost has made itself known this week and I actually enjoyed the crisp morning air and the late sunrise exposing a cool mist-like fog during my morning walk. We have been driving to school just as the sun is peeking up from the horizon and it feels kind of mystical and quite literally dark. Your granddaughter on the other hand questions who would think it was a good idea for teenagers to go to school as the sun is rising. She has a point. This weekend, that will come to a close as Daylight Savings Time is upon us. The extra hour of sleep still gives me a thrill as well as the change in light. I suppose the early sunset is upsetting to most but I like the change at least initially. It feels like a time to enjoy hibernating and catching up on home comforts. The holidays are creeping up and your granddaughter is always full of ideas and lists of things we should do and share. By January, I start to look forward to the light changing once again and the new life outside preparing to bloom. For now, the idea of cutting back the garden, turning off the outside water, and planning our decorations, and filling the air with delicious aromas is encouraging and heartwarming.

 This time each year also brings the NYC Marathon. Tomorrow marks the fiftieth NYC Marathon, and the first time runners will be back since the pandemic shut down all of the community events. I am looking forward to seeing the race and hearing the stories highlighted during the coverage as it never fails to inspire and even bring tears of a multitude of emotions. In the past you and I have watched together, I have watched with friends, gone to see friends in person run the race, and always been filled to the brim with admiration and inspiration. It is such a special experience and one that I think brings people together no matter their age, politics, culture, or religion.

 This week I read a book that brought characters from very different backgrounds together. “Stranger in the Lifeboat” written by Mitch Albom was recommended to me by a few reading lists and interviews. Once I started reading, I didn’t want to put it down. The chapters kept me guessing and questioning where and how we were going to end up when all was said and done. It was beautiful and healing and yes I cried. It was a good week to have read as I am preparing to spend the day walking around the marathon. Both will leave me filled with tremendous inspiration.

 Tremendous. Dad often used that word to describe something that filled him with awe. I heard a few podcasts this week and they used the word tremendous. It’s such a big word and one that I would not use lightly and neither did dad. When dad used that word, I sat straighter and listened more carefully. The frost this week touched the leaves and covered the grass in a pattern that filled me with a tremendous amount of awe. It was beautiful and articulate in its beauty. Such profound beauty makes me grateful and earnest to find a way to help our environment. We have been keenly aware of the amount of new development taking place in our community which sadly has included many woodland areas to be flattened. As discouraging as this is, I feel tremendous hope when I hear some of the teenagers (including your granddaughter) express their concerns. This generation is aware in a way that we were not while we were in adolescence. This awareness is going to be responsible for much-needed change.

 On a lighter note, believe it or not, Christmas movies and Christmas vinyl albums have been playing in our home inspiring some baking. When your granddaughter asks to bake, I know it’s been a stressful week. Music and movies playing, inspired baking a new recipe Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies. They were as they sound, delicious and paving the way for the holidays.

Talk soon,

Forever Yours

Quote:

Have you ever really had a teacher? One who saw you as a raw but precious thing, a jewel that, with wisdom, could be polished to a proud shine?

Mitch Albom

American author, journalist, broadcaster, philanthropist, and musician 

Born: May 23, 1958