I always thought of myself as a real summer kid. Growing up in New York I was willing to sacrifice all the other months just to get to the summer season that started with Memorial Day and ended on Labor Day. That’s when I felt the most alive, and it was almost like watching life through a black and white t.v. that just transitioned to color. While my father claimed his favorite time of year was the fall, he would often say, “If you took out January, February, and March you would have perfect weather.” With a puzzled look on my face, I would reply, “You just cut out a quarter of the year like it was nothing.” Then I thought to myself, “I was willing to give up three quarters of the year just to get to my favorite 3 months.” I had to ask myself, “Which of the two of us was really nuts?”
Don’t get me wrong, we had lots of great activities and music that occurred throughout the year, but the fun we had, and the music that played throughout the summer was something very special. I bet my “championship” music trivia teammates, Greg and Toni White would agree “The Twist” by Chubby Checker, “Summer In the City” by The Lovin Spoonful, and the Beach Boys, “California Girls” never sounded better than in the summer months. I’ll even add Sly and The Family Stone’s “Hot Fun in the Summer Time” and what kid wouldn’t feel his summer was just starting when listening to Alice Cooper’s “Schools Out?” It didn’t matter the era you grew up in, the music never sounded better than it did in the summer, especially if the windows in your car were rolled down or you were driving in a convertible on your way to the beach!
When I was young the summer seemed to last a lot longer than it does now. Maybe it was our carefree attitudes where we crammed lots of activities into one day. We swam, water skied, and had endless games of Frisbee and flashlight tag, and those beach parties were second to none. Perhaps it’s me, but did this summer seem to be missing a month? Friends of mine up north are already dreading the end of summer. Stores have already put out their fall and early winter merchandise, and soon they will be experiencing “Tumbleweed Tuesday,” which is the day after Labor Day when it seems like summer came to a sudden stop and the merchants are desperately looking for those last customers seeking to stretch their summer vacation out a few more days. While my northern friends are starting to mourn the passing of summer, those of us living here feel like our summer with its fun activities is soon to get started. Think about it.
When we were under travel restrictions from Covid, many flocked to Florida in an attempt to move to a more desirable climate and lifestyle. Instead of people returning north for the summer they remained here with us. We may have social distanced, but we got creative and put together impromptu potluck dinners on our streets, and figured out how to enjoy each other’s company….from a distance of course. It was as if summer gained a few extra months. Then as life returned to normal many of our friends and neighbors resumed their trek north for the summer where the season was just kicking off, and we settled into the more quiet days of summer, which wasn’t such a bad alternative considering all our area has to offer. With boating, beaches, golf, tennis, pickleball, entertainment venues, waterfront shops, and restaurants why would anyone want to leave? Isn’t this what people are going north to enjoy and from what I hear, it was just as hot up there this summer! With even more activities planned by our local Chambers of Commerce, Country Clubs, and Charitable Organizations in the upcoming months, it seems like our summer may just be going into its second phase as there are a host of activities and events I’m looking forward to enjoying.
As for those who are returning now that summer is in their rearview mirror, I’m sure my music trivia teammates Greg and Toni could put together a playlist for you that would include “See you in September.” The great news is our summer is not over, and as a kid at heart who loves the excitement of summer, I couldn’t be happier.
Through these friendships, we’ve been all over the world from Singapore and Vietnam to Europe and South America. We traveled through the back roads of our great country and journeyed the Intracoastal from Florida to New England. We’ve met politicians and have been to some of the most dangerous locations in the middle-east. “How did you get to do all of this in such a short life span you may ask?” While I’ve experienced some very special places when traveling through our country, unfortunately the closest I’ve gotten to Europe was a road trip to Massachusetts. Sarah Palin may have claimed to see Russia from her home in Alaska, but through the intimate stories told by clients who became close friends we feel as if we experienced these real-life stories and adventures, many of which we hope to take ourselves someday.
Everyone has a story or knows of someone who has a storied background, but when you have the opportunity to spend as much time with clients as we do, their histories come to life in a way that makes you feel as if you went through a time with them. I remember one client who had been in the largest naval battle to this day. He was on a 500 ft. aircraft carrier in the Philippines and to listen to his story of the incoming fire they took, you couldn’t help but feel you were right alongside him. Other clients spoke of Communist regimes they escaped and how their families lost everything they had to come to our country. Others have been in the entertainment industry, some have been writers and still, others have created products that are widely used today. There have been CEOs and those that rose from poverty to creating highly successful businesses, going on to mentor others so they could have an opportunity to better themselves. We’ve also heard countless stories from physicians, who without fanfare traveled abroad to many third world countries administering to those in need, and did I mention a Grammy award-winning Pastor whose lives he continues to touch each day? For those of you whose stories have appeared in our newsletters you know who you are, and how your stories have had such an impact on my life, as have so many others.
We live in a time where the media is focused more than ever on negative news and the things that divide us, not the common ground that can bring us together. When I see thousands of people turn out in mass to simply watch the lighting of a Christmas Tree or eight Clydesdale horses pulling a wagon through the streets of our downtown with two men and a Dalmatian sitting alongside them, I think to myself, “aren’t these the timeless pleasures we seem to embrace, and innately desire to enjoy?”
Thanksgiving to me has always been the start of the holiday season. It’s a time where people seem to be a bit more appreciative of the things they’ve received and a desire to share those blessings with others. While we typically think of family and friends sitting around a large dining table decorated in a harvest motif, adorned with a variety of homemade dishes and a succulent roast turkey, I find in recent years my sentiments have turned more to ways we can share our abundance with others less fortunate. However, my thoughts this Thanksgiving season were inspired by a story I recently heard at church from a very special lady whose mission trip years ago to Nicaragua exemplified the true meaning of gratitude that will impact me for the rest of my life.
Gwen initially moved to Punta Gorda to care for her elderly mother who was suffering from age-related dementia, but needing to work, she added, “no one gets rich being a nun for 30 years,” she applied to Sacred Heart Church. Pastor, Jerome “Jerry” Kaywell recognized Gwen’s talents immediately and hired her to be his Pastoral Associate. Technically her role is defined as meeting the pastoral needs of the people of the parish however, to those who know her contributions her handprint can be found in almost every corner of the church. Gwen reflects, “Giving was a family thing. My Mom was very attentive to the needs around her and she seated the responsibility to help others deep in our hearts from my earliest memories. She would often adopt a project and we were always a part of the service.” She recalls one of the most “powerful” examples was when her mom “adopted” a man who lived a few miles from them. The man wasn’t related to them and didn’t have family to take care of him. Gwen’s mother decided that once a month they would bring him food she had frozen from what she made the family the month before. Then on a Saturday every month for years, they would clean his house, tidy his yard, plant flowers, and bring in wood, as he heated his home with only a wood stove. This care for others leads us to the inspiring story Gwen shared with the congregation that touched the lives of everyone present.
Looking back during the time she served as Principal of Seton Catholic High School in Plattsburgh, Gwen said for several years she had been involved with a group called “Mission of Hope.” Created as a result of a mission trip to Nicaragua that was inspired by one family from Nicaragua who attended the school to help their family back in their homeland recover from the mudslides from a devastating hurricane, this non-profit took on a “life of its own.” Today, Gwen adds, “it serves the people of Nicaragua in a multitude of ways from hospitals to eldercare, food to clinics and education to hope.” However, it was that trip to Nicaragua that left a lasting impression.
Gwen recalls, “Several times I was tasked with bringing a bag of rice and a bag of beans to the homeless families living in the woods. It was perhaps enough to feed a family of 5 for a week if they had light appetites.” She continued, “We would travel along the dirt road, and wherever there was a worn footpath into the woods, we would walk in and bring our simple treasures to these families. It never ceased to amaze me that before we were even back to the road, we would hear the people calling for other families who were deeper in the woods to come. They were not calling them to come to us to get rice and beans for themselves, but instead, they were calling them to come and share in the bounty they had received.” If this isn’t touching enough, Gwen reflected on a day when she was leaving one of the homes having delivered the bags of rice and beans, when she heard a little girl of about 3 years of age calling out to her. “She was stark naked and dirty from head to toe, running down the path after me. With enormous brown eyes and a smile that overshadowed the filth, she handed me a wildflower, hugged my leg, and whispered, “Gracias, Santa dama.” Thank you, holy lady.” Gwen said, “I didn’t feel much like a holy lady. I had given her family perhaps a couple of days of food. She gave me all she had.”
Gwen’s story reminded me of the bible story of the “Widow’s offering,” found in the twelfth chapter of the book of Mark, verses 41-44. It tells how Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were placed and watched the crowd putting money into the temple treasury. “Many rich people threw in large amounts, but a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins worth only a few cents.” Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth, but she, out of her poverty, put in everything; all she had to live on.”
As I reflected on Gwen’s closing thoughts, I couldn’t help but reflect on that little 3-year-old girl with the flower whose gesture of gratitude left a lasting impression on me. I had to ask myself if I was doing enough to make a difference in the lives of others, not just once a year, but throughout the year. I realized more than ever, how blessed I was and the best way to show my gratitude was to help others in their time of need. After all, isn’t that what Thanksgiving is all about?
While most people would like to talk about themselves, Gary and Gail have always put their clients first, and their diverse backgrounds have provided their clients an unparalleled level of service and knowledge throughout the past years.
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