October 12, 2019 DON'T BE AFRAID

Terrified. That's probably the best word to describe it. YUP. The day I agreed to take over the art department at my school. Terrified--Nervous--Excited. The art department has an excellent reputation which is why--I WAS AND STILL AM-- TERRIFIED. I don't want to be the ONE to lead us down the ROAD TO RUIN. Seriously--I was an Art history major and an Art minor. Yes--I've taken many classes over the years but-- I'm NO PICASSO.   COULD I REALLY TEACH ART???? I've finally realized that I don't have to be PICASSO.  Just because someone is a GREAT ARTIST doesn't mean they can teach. I'm a TEACHER. I can teach. So what if it's a bit of a learning curve--CHANGE IS GOOD. I'm having fun. I get to work with charcoal, ink, paint, pastel and introduce students to a whole new world. I get to teach them HOW TO SEE--like an artist SEES. And if I'm lucky--I'll inspire some budding artists and help change the way they see the world. ISN'T THAT COOL. Don't get me wrong--I'm still terrified and nervous but SUPER DUPER EXCITED. 

Lincoln Moser, the main character of Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Russo's new book Chances Are...., is also excited but for a very different reason. Lincoln is headed to his family's beach house on Martha's Vineyard for a reunion with his college buddies, Teddy and Mickey.  It's the first time the trio has been back to the house in forty years--without Jacy.  Jacy was also part of a their college group even though she hailed from Greenwich and had no business hanging around a bunch of scholarship boys. Jacy's been missing since she walked away from the house headed to the ferry all those years ago. Her mysterious disappearance has haunted the trio for forty years. Will they finally discover what happened to Jacy now that they're older and wiser? While each man harbors secrets, could one of them be involved in her disappearance? Find out when you read this well written wonderful story for yourself. I really enjoyed this book. This book is a mystery but it's so much more. It's about friendship and the comfort their shared history brings. It's about old friends--people who can not be replaced. They're the ones who know where you're from and how you've grown and changed. This lovely story is about 300 pages or a 4 mile run that I was sad to see end.