Dear Friends,

This is my attempt to catch up with you after a tumultuous two weeks. I admit I am feeling a bit lost, and so I plan to use this time to simply get my thoughts on the page. I have no idea where this is going or where I will end up, but I do know that I need to resume my 20 minutes a day of writing and so, today is the day.

First things first: Baby Ethan is very much on the mend. He still has tender spots on his toes where he had the third-degree burns, but he is up and walking. Granted, with just socks on, he walks quite gingerly, and you can see from how he is stepping that his little feet are still tender. However, he is tolerating cushy shoes which are aiding in getting him up and out every day. He certainly is not yet again running full speed through the orange grove barefooted, but he is back to exploring and toddling from one spot to the other. Today, he is 19 months old, and demonstrating more of his good-natured personality every day. He has a quick and easy smile and loves nothing more than playing peek-a-boo or riding on his grandpa’s shoulders. So, all is well, and our family is happy to see him looking and feeling more like his sweet little self. Hooray on all counts related to our darling Ethan.

Second, I was sick for over two weeks with a reaction to amoxicillin given to me for an ear infection. I won’t go into the gory details but suffice it to say that painful abdominal cramping was only one of the many symptoms related to the never-want-to-go-through-this-again experience. I am finally on the mend and am grateful that my gut is righting itself after what felt like gorilla warfare for more time than I would have ever expected. While I had never had a reaction to amoxicillin before, rest assured that after these two weeks of torture, I will let the doctors know to PLEASE never prescribe this antibiotic to me again.

Third, our country was stricken yesterday by the horrors of gun violence at the hands of a troubled young man. I am relieved that former President Trump did not sustain life-threatening injuries. I also want to extend my condolences to the family of Corey Comperatore, the man who was killed, and to David Dutch and James Copenhaver, the two men who were wounded. While I will vote against Mr. Trump in November, I do not wish him harm at the hands of an assassin. As someone with a deep faith in our democracy, I will never condone violence as a means to an end. I believe this current situation is an opportunity for us all to readjust our perspectives and recognize that violence only begets more violence, which is the polar opposite of our Founding Fathers’ goal for all Americans to have the unalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Our country is clearly fractured, but we have the chance right now to baby-step our way back to a reasonable middle ground where we can all strive to live and let live: a foundational belief in a diverse democratic society. I, for one, will do my best to help with this. I hope you will too.

While I feel as if I’m just getting started, I think I will close for now. These are the three major areas of thought that are occupying my mind at the moment. Hopefully, life will right itself, and we will all move forward with more unity.  

Wishing all of you a safe and happy Sunday.

My best to each one of you,

Len