Launched in 2005, WellesleyWeston Magazine is a quarterly publication tailored to Wellesley and Weston residents and edited to enrich the experience of living in two of Massachusetts' most desirable communities.
Issue link: https://wellesleywestonmagazine.epubxp.com/i/256387
on an unseasonably warm day last spring, my husband and I traveled to Pittsburgh to tackle the tough job of packing up his mother's home and getting it ready to put on the market. Sadly, she was moving to an assisted living facility and was unable to make the decisions about what to keep, what to throw away, and what to donate to charity. It was a physically and emotionally draining couple of days, and finally I breathed a sigh of relief as I packed up the last row of hanging clothes to take to Goodwill. My relief quickly turned to dismay, however, when I noticed a door within the master bedroom closet that had been hidden behind the racks of clothes. I gingerly opened the door to reveal an entire storage area filled (and I mean filled) with file cabinets overflowing with old tax returns, holiday decorations, and boxes and boxes of letters. I was amazed at the quantity of correspondence. Letters from her mother, to her mother, to her husband- to-be, and from him. Letters congratulating her on her engagement, her marriage, the birth of her children, and recipes from relatives long gone. Since she passed away last July, my husband and I aren't quite ready to read all of the letters, but I know that when we do, we will learn much more about this lovely and accom- plished woman, gain insight into the lives of other family members long since deceased, and get a glimpse into how different it was to come of age in the 1940s and 1950s. In "Letters from Wellesley, " Diane Speare Triant shares a treasure trove of letters written by Wellesley College student Mary Jane Hayes to her mother in the 1930s. The letters provide us with an intimate and detailed look at what life was like in Wellesley during this time. Reading them made me feel as if I was right there with Mary Jane enjoying waffles at the Blue Dragon or sitting on the bench overlooking Lake Waban that still exists on the Wellesley campus. Letter writing may be a thing of the past with college students today, but these certainly serve as a way of bringing the past to us in a very memorable way. Caring for aging parents and making difficult decisions on their behalf are realities we all have to face eventually. Beginning with our next issue, writer Steve Maas will present the first article in a four-part series on issues senior citizens must face. The article will focus on how to make your home and neighborhood more senior-friendly, with practical tips on making physical changes to your home. The article will also describe services available to help older people with errands and socializing. If you have topics that you would like us to cover in this series, please e-mail me at jill@wellesleywestonmagazine.com. I hope all of the articles in this issue provide you with plenty of inspiration, ideas, and intriguing images that will help to enhance the spectacular spring season. 16 W e l l e s l e y W e s t o n M a g a z i n e | s p r i n g 2 0 1 4 editor's letter J I L L N I L S E N jill@wellesleywestonmagazine.com C A R O L Y N R O S S 016_WWMa14_editor'slttr_v2_WellesleyWeston Magazine 2/1/14 2:56 PM Page 16