GOING HOME

After the extraordinarily successful book signing in Atlanta that I experienced, I knew that it was time for me to go home to Providence, Rhode Island. It was necessary for me to reconnect with my roots, to pay homage to the place where I grew up; to reconnect with the people, places and spaces that helped to shape the woman I have become. Prayer was answered immediately. Sheila Conway, my BFF since kindergarten, attended the book signing, read my mind, knew that I needed a vacation, and invited me to visit her and her spouse in Rhode Island. Acceptance of her invitation made it easy to also arrange a visit to Hamden, Connecticut to spend a couple of days with Diane Orson, my Jewish SisterFriend since 6th grade, and to attend a mini-Wellesley reunion lunch arranged by my Wellesley classmate Lynn Groark Fairfield-Sonn in Old Lyme, Connecticut.

When I arrived at Sheila’s home in Warwick, she had prepared a meticulous itinerary that featured visits to our elementary school in South Providence where we grew up; arranged reconnections with childhood friends; site seeing at our favorite spots and towns including Barrington, Bristol, Cranston, Galilee, and Pawtucket. We ate delicious, fresh seafood every day; visited the mansions in Newport; took the ferry to breathtakingly beautiful Block Island; enjoyed the gorgeous beaches, and we rocked with a live band in Jamestown. And the best part of it all, was that most of our days included time spent with Sheila's sister, Doreen, and Sheila's niece Monique who often prepared healthy specialty hors d'oeuvres between meals.

Sheila is a generous, kind, thoughtful, compassionate, reliable person. She even insisted that I use her car to travel to Connecticut instead of renting a car. Sheila deserved to be honored in my first book, Journal Reflections With 2020 Vision, and so, I did!

The visit with Diane Orson in Hamden was bittersweet, emotionally challenging, and yet absolutely wonderful as we commiserated over the catastrophic loss of Diane’s fraternal twin sister Beth who succumbed to the ravages of cancer in December 2022. We reminisced with love and great joy about the memories and special years we spent with their father, my pediatrician Dr. Jay Orson and their mother the iconic actress Barbara Orson. You may recall the love I expressed for her parents and the tribute to them in my book.

The trek from Hamden to Old Lyme, Connecticut was scenic, lovely and an easy-breezy 1-hour drive. Lynn rolled out the yellow carpet! She graciously hosted and prepared a lunch for me and a few of our classmates at her private club near the beach. Lunch served on picnic tables facing the ocean was an assortment of sandwiches, healthy salads, decadent desserts and beverages – including champagne to celebrate my first visit to Connecticut as our Class of 1979 President! The beauty and smell of the ocean on such a gorgeous sunny day mixed with the taste of the delicious food, added to the joys of our mini-reunion – memories that I will cherish always.

When I returned to Rhode Island, Sheila and I visited the graves of my grandmother Mrs. Gladys James and Mr. Len Anderson, one of my sheroes and heroes, respectively, resting peacefully in North Burial Ground Cemetery. More about Len’s extraordinary contributions to my life can be found in my book. Growing up in Rhode Island, we often visited beaches throughout the year, not just during the summer. Visits to the ocean rejuvenate and restore my soul. This particular visit to my hometown state of Rhode Island – the Ocean State – was the reconnection with Mother Nature that my soul craved and desperately needed to enable me to proceed with the next phase of my amazing journey. I am deeply grateful for the unique opportunity to spend two weeks in Rhode Island and Connecticut with members of my extended family and friends. I am truly blessed abundantly, always and in all ways.

Going home can be rewarding, wonderful and therapeutic, especially when you know exactly why and when to go.