By G. E.
Shuman
It was mid-May.
The year was 1994, and yours truly, somehow, a few weeks prior to that time, had
screwed up his courage enough to ask his friend Gary Hass, the co-publisher of
The World, for permission to write a column for the paper. Gary was, and is, a
brave man, and didn’t hesitate to say ‘yes’ to my request. (I hope it was not a
decision he has regretted.)
That day,
all those years ago, I remember telling Gary that I wanted to write about the ‘times’
of life; you know, the simple events of living that we all share and cherish here
in our great state of Vermont.
So, my
humble column space, right here, every other week (and a page or two after the
obits,) has been about family experiences, friends, foibles, and feelings that
you and I have in common, even if we have never met. I hope you have enjoyed my
take on experiencing the many passing seasons and years during my time with The
World. It has been good for my soul to remind myself and others of the many
blessings of life, to bring to people’s minds the scents and sights of
candle-lit pumpkins at Halloween, of evergreens and frosty scenes at Christmastime,
of the sights and sounds of the seashore and sandcastle building with my kids
and grandkids those many summers.
Gary’s
unhesitating word of permission that first day launched my undeserved entrance
into the world of writing for newspapers and magazines, of publishing novels,
and eventually of teaching a generation of high school students to love English
and the written word. I hope Gary knows how much that all has meant to me, and
how much a simple ‘yes’ can have the power to change someone’s life.
So, here I
am, here we are, at what I believe is attempt number seven hundred and eighty
in my quest to entertain and inform Vermonters and others about the fun and
fantastic things that life brings, sometimes through the very minutia of it.
That means this edition represents my 30th anniversary occupying
this space.
Writing for
The World has always been my therapy. I have learned to appreciate life and
love here and have benefited from the experience far more than my readers have.
This paper has been a true home for my many meandering thoughts and words, and
I thank you for reading them.
I want to
thank Gary Hass, my friend and publisher, for this amazing opportunity. I do
wonder a bit what the next thirty years will bring.
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