GOD SPEAKS TO CAROL AND CAROL SPEAKS TO ME

By Peter Vuono

  One of my wife's and my favorite  places is Nantasket Beach in Hull Ma. It's a large, sprawling beach with soft sand, few rocks and no seal populations which keeps the Great White in Chatham! The only downside is finding a parking space as it's very popular.

  My wife and I found a small secluded spot which was free and ideal but about 400 yards to the opening of the private side of the beach. It was quite a trek walking this distance but we thought that it was worth it. One day as we sat on the sand to catch our breath, we struck up a conversation with a kind lady named Carol.

  Only after a few minutes, she offered to let us park at her home which was only two blocks away. Diane and I waited for perhaps a year or so to take her up on it as we didn't want to take advantage of her kindness. As time went by we became good friends and it wasn't long before I realized that Carol's offering us the hospitality of her parking lot was the least of the gifts she would give us as she later gave me bits of advice which rarely went beyond a sentence or two which would help me change my way of thinking for the better.

  Carol is not a drinker but she was very familiar 2with the philosophies of AA. In 2015, my mom was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiform. I was so afraid of what I was going to face in the months leading up to her death. Without really knowing all the circumstances, at the end of the summer, carol just said,"Take one day at a time". I did; and I helped my mom and those helping her get through the horrors of brain cancer.

  A year or two later, my son, Mike always gladly went to Nantasket with Diane and me. We were so fortunate in that he had been going since single digits up to his low thirty's not once being shy about going with his mom and dad. Carol reminded me what a blessing it was that he had been doing this for so long and to cherish it. She was right and I'll never forget all the time Mike spent with us on the sand.

  One of our close friends on the beach was real nice retiree by the name of Richie. Richie was from Hull and he had the unfortunate experience of having to adopt his two granddaughters because his daughter had become incapable of taking care of them. to be sure, this was a big task but it was compounded with Richie contracting bladder cancer that he would succumb to. 

  When Carol told us the story, she reminded me, "When you think your problems are great; think again about what Richie went through". It helped me keep things in perspective and not whine about my condition or financial status. Once again, Carol was right.

  Perhaps the finest part of Nantasket is a little known spot called Pemberton Point. It's the very end of Hull where it touches the Atlantic. Five hundred yards out is the beautiful Pedicks Island and a mile out is the breath taking Boston skyline. No sight could be more relaxing. Carol reminded us how lucky we were to behold this sight so many times in the summer when so many people couldn't possibly do so. It was another revelation of a blessing.

  Finally, for much of the summer, I was fretting about what could go wrong with my daughter's wedding. I was the officiant and I was afraid of botching my lines. Carol encouraged me the whole summer. When the wedding came about in late august, it was so well executed it was like a dream. I told Carol and she enunciated, I told you it would be that good! Now THAT'S  the quality of life!"(TO BE FINISHED LATER).