As I See It
Ruth Sanford
“Dear friends and lovers of
Like The Holidays”, Valentine's Day is a time when one can both
have and express warm feelings without fear of seeming sentimental. For me it calls
up nostalgia with a touch of sadness and a very happy memory of being cherished
and taken care of. I am writing this on February 12th, birthday of
my mother and Abraham Lincoln; yesterday was the anniversary of her death and
on Valentine's Day it will be 13 years since her body was buried as he wished
in a tiny cemetery in
Not that we never quarreled or
had conflict. There were times of strong anger, deep hurt and sharp words about
which I felt regret and guilt. More and more I am understanding and accepting -
even valuing - as part of caring deeply and cherishing another person. Only
yesterday this truth was again made real for me. I received and returned words
of anger and impatience and hurt with a very close friend and colleague. When we
took time to talk very openly about what happened between us we found of
friendship deepened and ourselves reaffirmed. The feelings and the words were
so strong because we really cared each for the other. We can enough to use them
for deeper understanding and acceptance - hard words and all!
So I come to some very strong
feelings and some strong words worthy of them about my town, for I among many am
a friend and lover of
I am very angry about the
destruction of trees planted along our new and in many ways beautiful
The general assumption is
that they were young people who came to our downtown to have fun. I hope none
of them were” responsible adults” who live or work here, but I don't know. Whoever
you are, I hope you hear and heed. And I hope that anyone who feels this anger
will be willing to put it in writing and address it to me here or to a member
of the Chamber of Commerce. With this kind of support we can use some of our time and
effort to seek a solution together.
I also feel anger when I see
trash thrown or blowing about, seats torn out of the Railroad Station, fences
deliberately or carelessly broken and left unrepaired.
Anger, unused, consumes and turns to ashes. I, a friend and lover of
How use it? I don't know but
I trust that many of us, together, can find a way.
This is our town.