President's Reflection

President’s Message:

Please indulge me by reading the following:

In the evening on August 16, Holly and I drove up to Naples to watch comedian Bob Marley perform at the Freedom Café.  The show was on the lawn behind the café and we were told to bring our own chairs.  The setting was actually right on the shore of Long Lake with the stage set up on the first dock of a small marina behind the restaurant. 

 

It was quite crowded when we got there but we found a space on the bank of the lake and we were about to unfold our chairs when I heard someone yell: “Bill, careful or you and your chair will roll right into the lake.” I turned around to see two couples sitting at a picnic table.  I recognized two of the individuals as people I have known for some time.  They were former clients with a long standing successful contracting business.  In fact, they were three years ahead of me at TA.  I remember him as a big athlete and she was a cheerleader.  They were high school sweethearts who got married and settled right here in Saco.  I even remembered her from years before when I used to deliver her family’s paper.  In any event, given our precarious perch on the edge of the lake, I asked them if we could join them at their picnic table and they welcomed us over.

 

Holly and I sat down across from each other with Holly sitting next to the woman I knew and I introduced Holly to both of them.  It had been a while since I had seen them, but they were very engaging with great Maine accents.  I had forgotten that she had been sick for some time and that illness had aged her well beyond her cheerleading days, but who am I kidding, we have all aged.  It was really nice to catch up with them before the show started.

 

Bob Marley was really on that night.  His material was fresh and his interaction with the crowd, especially the people on the boats behind him, was quick and hilarious.  I could not help but notice how much my friends laughed and I actually thought to myself if laughter is the best medicine then she is going to be fine.  As the show ended we all headed to our cars and she felt so bad for us because we had to drive back to Saco that night (they have a camp up there and only needed to go a short way).  We said our goodbyes and went our separate ways.

 

Fast forward to Wednesday the 19^th.  When I got home I was greeted with the news of the tragic stabbing at Shaw’s.  At 10:45 PM as I lay in bed reading, Holly read a text from our daughter, Erin, who works as a pharmacy tech at Community Pharmacy when she is not in pharmacy school.  They had identified the Shaw’s assailant and Erin recognized her as a rather disturbed person who frequents downtown Saco.  She also texted that the victim was Wendy Boudreau.  It was Wendy Boudreau and her husband Jeff who we sat with at the Marley show.

 

I do not write this to emphasize how small and interwoven our lives in a small community can be.  I write this to emphasize how short life can be.  This tragedy is a stark reminder that we should not put off until tomorrow what we really want to do today.  If we have things we have been meaning to say, say them.  We do not always have a lot of time to do good in the world so do it right away.  I always assume I have plenty of time to get certain things done, but Wendy’s death is a stark reminder that we do not always have the luxury of time./

 

Wendy Boudreau went to Shaw’s to do her groceries like I am guessing she had done 100s if not 1,000s of times before.