Opinion
Thank you, Islanders and visitors alike, who shared both time and inclination to honor Pat Sayre at Saturday’s Grace Church Memorial Service, filling our memories as well as the place of worship to overflowing.
A message to the 75 per cent who voted against the roundabout and others of this community.
The construction you see happening at this writing is not part of the roundabout. It is only a pump installation by the Oak Bluffs water department.
This is a minor construction preview of what we can expect for up to three years if the roundabout project proceeds. Think of all the signage and nighttime lighting! How very rural Vineyard.
After visiting my wife’s childhood home at Rockaway Beach last week in Queens, and seeing how devastated that seaside community was, I was grateful we were spared Sandy’s full fury here on the Island. Of course, there was some damage and major erosion. But I see a silver lining here. All my summer buddies have been asking me if Lucy Vincent was really ruined, as portrayed in the media and conversation.
A week ago I made a wager and lost. I bet an acquaintance that Mitt Romney would win the election. It reminded me of a story I read a long time ago.
A woman, waiting in the hallway, approached Benjamin Franklin as he emerged from a meeting of the cabinet. She inquired, “Well, what do I have sir?” He replied, “Madam, you have a Republic, if you can hold onto it.”
Sadly, as a World War II veteran, I feel that I lost something much more valuable than a mere bet!
With a gust of wind, November blows the last of the oak leaves from the branches and the clear November light pours down from the emptied gulf of sky above. Now begins the other autumn, the autumn of spare and austere beauty, the half of the season that follows the glorious autumn of September and October.
With most leaves fallen, the cold sun of November floods the woodlands with light. It shines through the bare branches, reaching clear to the forest floor where, for the past six months, the sun had struck in dappled rays alone.
For all we have
Not all we think we need
For all the mountains
Broad valleys, deepest seas
For all our dreams
Our hopes
The friendships that we gain
For all our loss
Our heartache
All our pain
For all the love
That blesses us with peace
We pray for strength
Sustain us as we seek
To praise this force
That graces us in need
And pray for peace
In every word and deed
— Steve Ewing