Letters
Letters to my grandchildren
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March Madness in New Holland, PA 3.25.24
Another March Madness happened on the roads of New Holland even while March Madness took place on basketball courts across America
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EJ and JC – 1.5.24 – Bag of Mandarins Revisited
After writing a letter to my grandson James about surrounding yourself with good people, my favorite blogger wrote about the same thing several days later. Enjoy
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Letter to James 12.21.23 – Christmas and a Bag of Mandarins
A quick Christmas Day Homily in the form of a letter to James. Merry Christmas!
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Elizabeth – 12.12.23 – Two Months
EJ, You are so big and healthy. Other than a high fever recently, you have been doing really well. Your mom has been really good about making sure you get plenty of nourishment. And your mom and dad make sure we get daily updates on you, which make Gizzy and I feel like we are in Boston with you. And you are starting to smile in some of the photos we receive. As with my letters to your brother, some may be quite short, and they will be sent sporadically. However, I want to make sure I capture these precious days and months in writing so that I do not…
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First Letter to Elizabeth 10.13.23
My first letter to my first granddaughter, Liza Jean.
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“The People We Meet” – Days 5 to 9 from Basque Trip
8.15.23 Dear James, Here is the second installment of “The People We Meet” from my Basque Trip. It covers Days 5 to 9. Day 5 – The Pyrenees – The Englishman. On day 5 we took a taxi from Biarritz to Saint Jean Pied de Port, the starting spot for the French Camino. From there, a pilgrim can hike 33 days to Santiago de Compostela, home of Saint James’ remains. Pete and I would only hike to Pamplona, Spain, home of “The Running of the Bulls.” On that first day as we hiked over the top of the French Pyrenees into Spain, we met an Englishman who had been the…
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People We Meet – Basque Trip – Days 1 to 4
8.1.23 Dear James, After another wonderful visit with you in Boston, I decided to share some my Basque Country trip with you. The magic of travel can include new landscapes, museums, food, climates and culture. I now realize all are more enjoyable when done with other people. Walking a few days alongside a mom from Ireland and her 13-year-old son on the Camino portion of the trip really reminded me of this. And I do hope to walk a portion of the Camino with you some day. And travel is made much richer when experienced with locals. So, I decided to convey the culture and personality of the wonderful Basque…
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Reading and Catching Dreams 4.5.23
Dear James, You love letters. I do not know why you love letters. But you do. One day you will realize that those 26 foam letters that you love to arrange on the tub during bath time can be used to create magic, because when strung together, they create art that has no equal. As the Bible states, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The Word is indeed powerful. All people love stories. Unfortunately, as asserted by a recent New York Times article, our current education system focuses more on teaching reading as an analytical skill instead of a…
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November 25, 2022 – Black Friday – Ten Years Later
Dear James, It is Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. Although there are conflicting theories on why this day is called Black Friday, most people do agree that it started in the 1980s when someone decided that this day was the official start of the Christmas shopping season. And because it was such a big shopping day, someone also decided that most merchants do not turn a profit for the year until this day, officially putting them in “the black”, which means making a profit, versus being in “the red”, which means suffering a financial loss. And so, the term “Black Friday” was born. And since then, for some people,…
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November 11, 2022 – Passion and Movies
A letter to James about passion, movies and the Virginia Film Festival.
