Day: February 22, 2025

One of the things that make Gloucester so incredibly special.

It is hard to imagine playing in the surf and sitting in the sun 

Hard Line…

FEBRUARY 20, 2025 ~ SAWYER FREE LIBRARY

When: Monday, February 24, 4:00–5:30 PM Where: Sawyer Free Library

Beat the winter chill by creating something soft and huggable! Whether you’re new to knitting and crochet or an experienced crafter, the Sawyer Free Library wants to invite local teens and tweens (students in grades 6-12, ages 11 -19) join Young Adult Librarian Annalise for a relaxing afternoon of learning basic stitches and exploring fun project ideas. The repetitive nature of these crafts is known to reduce stress—so come unwind, try something new, and leave with a skill you can enjoy all year long.

   •   Materials Provided: Yarn, knitting needles, and crochet hooks

   •   Feel Free to Bring: Your own yarn, needles, hooks, or work-in-progress

   •   Questions? Email Annalise at anakoneczny@sawyerfreelibrary.org

Registration required at SawyerFreeLibrary.org. We can’t wait to see what you’ll create!

I hope you will allow me to wax nostalgic for a bit and share an essay I wrote on one of those nights when you are thinking about life, love and the past.

Though this essay refers to my own family situation, it’s a fairly generic, well shared sentiment. As I have mentioned, my dad grew up in Gloucester and is pictured here with his two (much) younger brothers. Some of you may recognize these two younger ones and be surprised to learn they had an older brother. That’s because they are 13/14 years apart. So, their parenting was certainly VERY different as the brothers reflect. PS the more recent photo was probably at our family reunion held many years ago at Cameron’s on Main St.

But first, here’s the essay I hope you will take the time to read:

Someday That’s Going To Be Me

A Tale of Two Kids

They say children don’t really have the “same” parents since we are different people over time and certainly change with having children. So firstborn children do not have the “same” parents that the next child has. That makes a great deal of good sense. Thankfully.

We have two children. I have always thought one was more like her father and the other more like his mother. Now that they are adults, I am even more convinced. And it’s OK.

I remember with fondness the night I took our daughter (probably around 9 or 10) to a school production of “Hello Dolly”. When Dolly descends the stairs for the showstopper number, she sighed in wonder and said “Someday that’s going to be me.” The actress was wearing a glittering red evening gown, men were swooning and women were swaying. I don’t know whether our daughter’s dreams were of swooning men, glittering gowns or beautifully orchestrated scenes. But she has always been a bit of a dreamer, leaning toward creating Hallmark moments by hook or by crook. Forced happiness, such as what you see on stage night after night.

A few years later when our son was about the same age, my mother died after a short battle with cancer. When my children joined me at my mother’s house later that day and he saw the grief of the loss of our mother, he whispered fearfully “Someday that’s going to be me.” I tried to comfort him but those words stuck in my craw. He was right and there was nothing I could do to change that. He was observing tears and that dragging sadness that seems to slow everything down. I understood this adult reality he was taking on at 9 years old; he has always been an old soul. He’s a good anchor for his sister often looking on the darker side of situations.

Our daughter was raised by new parents. Though we were a bit older than many new parents of the day, we were teachers and were pretty accustomed to children being around. Of course, having one of your own 24/7 PLUS your own students impacts parenting styles. Our son was born to experienced parents and had an older sibling to boot. I am sure their experiences with their parents were somewhat different, despite our efforts to be consistent and fair. But we had evolved as parents and as humans so they clearly had “different” parents. So perhaps this answers why they each look at life so differently; maybe it doesn’t.

Meanwhile, I look at our children in their adult lives mostly settled and happy. They are beginning to watch out for us in ways we used to watch out for them. It’s Someday. It’s Us.