From Mr. David’s Desk

The next few days usher in notable events of spring to Boston: Patriots Day and Marathon Monday. If you’ve never visited Minute Man National Historical Park, this is the year to do so as we recognize America’s 250th, the Semiquincentennial. In 1976, the Bicentennial year, I was a 7 year old, and I remember all the red, white, and blue bunting, flags, special quarter, stamps, and other Americana. We had a colonial-style ‘76 flag that my father, an army veteran of WWII and Korea, proudly raised on a pole outside our house. It was a simpler time… and it wasn’t. I also remember a few years before watching Nixon on TV and seeing news from Viet Nam. Children take in lots of information, some good, some bad, some simple, some complex, and might process it years later.

The Boston Marathon is a celebration of human ability. Run 26.2 miles? (In a little over 2 hours?) Few people generations ago would have considered it possible, let alone something to aspire to. But many of us have completed marathons, and unlike Pheidippides, we didn’t make the run and drop dead at the finish. A good thing! Legends and English poetry aside (see Robert Browning’s poem Pheidippides), come out and cheer the runners (and wheelchair racers, too). While the forecast is for clouds and mid 40s, it will still be a great Boston day, one I hope you and your children remember.

Our break runs from April 20-24. We’ll see you back at Torit on Monday, April 27.

Enjoy the vacation,

Mr. David