Dear Melinda,

So happy to hear from you.

Sorry to say that other than nod, or smile, (in only neighborly recognition), did I meet your lovely heroine. She was with a young woman, frequently, as I recall.

Had I known this would be our connection, Melinda…I would have interviewed her endlessly. LOL!

I read and enjoyed your tribute to her.

Serendipity… I discovered our lives were so strangely parallel, I couldn’t get over it.

I feel we almost know one another. I would love to get to know you. I’m sure we could talk and talk.

Unexpectedly the book I wrote touched people who shared my memories of a time and place. They bothered to get in touch with me.

What a wonderful gift they gave me and reinforced the joy of our community. They were grateful that I recorded the Brownsville we sprouted from.

Imagine my surprise!