Letters to the Editor – October

The Editor and our dear Point Roberts friends:

Goodbye, Autumn!

Thank you for all the kind words and offers of help this past two weeks. Thank you for the beautiful cards, and flowers, and caring thoughts. Our daughter Autumn knew so many people, and every one of them was touched by her in some way, changed by having known her. She had a knack for making things change, and for making herself unforgettable. Falling in love with her was easy. Understanding her was next to impossible.

Loss is interesting. Something is gone, and even though you know it’s no longer there, your hand still moves to touch it. The missing light switch, the broken favorite cup. For me, it’s an unexpected phone call, the irreplaceable voice and laughter, a mostly one-sided conversation that goes everywhere, and nowhere, and makes me forget all the distractions of my busy life. I want that, and it’s gone.

Losing a child is difficult and painful. In the past weeks, many people have told me that they too have lost children, sons and daughters gone before their time. I look at the world today, and realize that if our children outlive us, we should consider ourselves fortunate, since the difficulties they will face are part of our legacy.

Writing a letter is relatively easy. Writing an obituary is hard. It’s so formal, so final. Our culture says, “You must do this,” and so we do. It’s a simple way to say goodbye all at once. You can say goodbye to someone you love, you can formalize it with a hug and kiss, but to truly say goodbye is not easy. For us, it’s hard, but necessary, because we know we have to let her go. Autumn was a free spirit, a high-flying bird, and now she has all the room she needs. Goodbye, Autumn Maple and be free!

George Wright and Rose Momsen

Point Roberts

The Editor:

In response to state senator Doug Ericksen’s invitation to small businesspeople about improving opportunities, I wrote to his office:

Please inform Doug that one reason small businesses are having problems is that the majority of buyers, shoppers, diners, travelers, workers etc. are still wanting safe masked environments. Right now it is not regulation and rules making business difficult, it is workers not feeling safe to return to work and a wary
consuming public.

The best way to inject momentum into the economy is to make sure consumers and workers feel safe and have the money to spend on consumer goods.

When he suggests a friendly environment, he should think of requiring all Washingtonians to get the vaccine shots and wear masks. The great upsurge in infection is the result of people choosing not to being vaccinated and the variant allowed to spread because of lack of masking requirements.

I just returned from Alameda, California where all citizens were masked at parks, walking the mall and beaches, etc. Yet consumerism was up and business was thriving with people confident in being safe to participate in normal life and demonstrating the love and respect of neighbors, friends and society in general.

Donna Starr

Blaine