I am often asked by a young reader if I will be his or her pen pal. I feel so honored by these requests but I have to say no to all of them. Most weeks I get about 100 letters and, while I try to respond to all of them, I can not answer any one person more than once.
The same problem arises when I’m asked to read what someone else, student or adult, has written. I want to encourage new writers but I simply don’t have time to read unpublished manuscripts.
Today was Mother’s Day and I had a good one. One of my grandsons, Eric, came down yesterday and spent the night with me. He repaired my bird feeders (yes, Papa Bear came back and wrecked them again) and helped me stack a big pile of firewood. We met my daughter and son-in-law, Anne and Kevin, and my granddaughter, Brett, for lunch at my favorite Italian restaurant and then strolled through a local rhododendron garden. My son, Bob, called to wish me Happy Mother’s Day, too, so I felt special and spoiled today!