To the Editor:
A few days after 9/11, Cappy and I were on a golf trip to Ireland with a group. On the first night of our stay at the Adare Manor, when we entered the Central Room, every Irish man and woman stood up and sang, “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
I thought of that recently and how appropriate it is for us today. So last Wednesday, after I finished the dishes and the laundry, I took a “virtual” walk. I stood outside the Emergency Room at Newton Hospital and looked through the doors as they parted to admit a patient. I could see dedicated heroes in oversized PPE caring for the sick. Their garb was oversized, not to accommodate their bodies, but their hearts.
I stood outside the courthouse and saw that Luann Callaghan and Don Soisson were protecting the rights of our citizens by keeping the Courts online to deal with issues as they arise. Down a little and around the corner, I saw Dan and Denise Hayek and their group of masked young people running boxes and bags of food out to the parked cars. Seeing masked individuals carrying items from a store and jumping into cars reminded me of cases that I have handled over the years.
On the way to Sparta, I stopped at Newton Country Club and played a round of virtual golf. I did better than I usually do – I lost only one ball. Further on at the Bagel Bistro, there was Chris Vozza and his dedicated group of smiling women making sure that breakfast was available to the essential workers and the rest of us. Further down, there’s Ms. Dina at the Casa Bellisima offering a full menu for takeout. Thanks to her, we have accumulated 12 place settings made of the finest American plastic and once a week, we have takeout by candlelight. Dan, Chris and Dina have continued in these difficult times to feed our bodies.
Father David from Our Lady of the Lake does the same but for our souls. The pandemic did not deprive us of Holy Week and Easter, thanks to You Tube. While there, I dropped off my weekly envelope and as I turned around, I saw walking in front of me, our President and Governor both walking in such a way so as to flatten the curve.
Moving on, as I passed the Stop and Shop, I saw Althea, Patty, Betty, Mary Beth and Val helping the old folks to navigate the restrictions imposed by social distancing. When I entered the Lake Mohawk Plaza, there, thank God, was George Caccavalle behind the counter at White Deer Liquors.
That’s when I started to drift back to what I call, “reality.” And I saw that the rest is up to us because the song commands: “Walk on, walk on with hope in your hearts and you’ll never walk alone.”
Amen.
George T. Daggett
Sparta