I am wishing to share them with you.
"Moving away from family and friends in central Ohio and the mountains of West Virginia to the tourist center of South Florida was a culture shock for two 11-y ear-old girls who ended up as the only newcomers in a sixth-grade classroom in Fort Lauderdale. Providentially, their families became neighbors as well and out of their feelings of isolation and estrangement, a bond was formed between them that has lasted through births and deaths, heartache and happiness for the last 60 years.
In Girl Scouts we learned a song about making new friends, but keeping the old…one is silver and other, gold. Glenna’s friendship is not only precious to me because of who she is but also because that friendship has stood the test of time. It’s an unbelievable and, I think, increasingly rare blessing to share sorrows and joys with someone who knew you when you had braces and a bad perm. She and I have been able to share the excitement of marriage and the pain of divorce, the blessing of giving birth and the grief of saying good-bye, the privilege of having parents who have raised us well and the pain of seeing them slowly leave. I’m very thankful to have had Glenna’s friendship in my life.
And reading her books gives me even more insight into Glenna’s heart…her heart for children, but also for the older generation of Americans….the ones who are alone and often forgotten….the ones who have such rich stories to share for those caring (and curious) enough to listen.
They have their own journeys to recount, but there are also journeys that we have taken as a country that are vital for us to remember and honor. Glenna’s book Remembering with the Heart is the first I’ve seen that puts some of America's history during the past 75 years in the language of children. The beautifully illustrated personal experiences of the veterans in their own words along with their own incredible photos and memorabilia are both moving and inspiring for a generation for whom the difference between good and evil has often been blurred. The next generation will only have the courage to face their future if they have heroes who have shown them how. My hope is that this most recent of Glenna’s books will give them some.
Glenna