By David Fortier

Come Sunday morning, I will be glad because this has been one of those weeks—just happy to get through and happy for a new beginning, especially since, for me, the new week brings spring break from school. It will be good for all of us to recharge our batteries—the numbers of students returning to school are on the rise, classrooms are becoming more and more crowded. 

It is spring, and if I am happy about a new week and new beginnings, I can really appreciate a new season—and I don’t think anyone needs to “think” about this, it just happens, and I love it. At the same time, I am one of those people who continues to take precautions—we are not out of the pandemic, just a while longer, wear those masks, socially distance, wash my hands. (A new habit is that every time I blow my nose I automatically wash my hands.) 

Along those lines, the family is making progress with vaccinations. My mom had her second vaccination. One of my brothers has had his. The other two, well, I am hoping they will soon. For the immediate family, Mary has her second; of the kids, one is fully vaccinated and has been for a while, three others have received a shot each, and one is planning to. Of them, two have contracted COVID and lost their sense of smell and taste and experienced other symptoms. Me? I am fully vaccinated, having one and done with Johnson & Johnson. 

On another note, regarding the break, I have been to the library and picked up a few books, one wonkish—titled 25 Great Sentences: And How They Got That Way, and two others, one of which I will have finished reading by Sunday evening—The Plague of Doves. (This may well precipitate another visit, which I encourage everyone to undertake—our library is a gem!) And the final one, The Vanishing Half.  

Aside from these I bought a copy of George Saunders’s A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, which is a study of the short story. In it, Saunders, who might be considered the foremost practitioner of the short story in the United States if not the world, discusses seven Russian short stories, ones he teaches to his students in his creative writing class. It is a marvel of a book, for readers and writers alike. 

Along the same lines, and this is just a quick note, PBS is streaming Ken Burns’s latest film, Hemingway. It is a commitment, over six hours long, which does not include supplementary material, including discussions and other background material captured on videos. Not only does the program do a deep dive into the complex person that Hemingway was, but it also provides historical context for those who are curious about the times he wrote in. (Mary and I have watched the first two hours.)  

Speaking of books, this Easter I thrilled the great nieces and nephews and new grandchildren with books. Of course, that is a tongue-in-cheek statement because books, a staple in our home, are not necessarily a first choice for gifts. Choosing books is always an interesting exercise, though. In looking for books for children of color, several of whom are on my gift list, I learned this: typically, these books, rather than simply engaging in storytelling, focus on self-improvement, as if 7-year-olds need to be reminded that there is something lacking in them rather than good enough.  

Regarding city business this week, Tuesday is a council meeting. I am guessing that one of the items on the agenda will be term limits. (See this TBE article on recent developments.) Quickly, the city-wide charter revision that passed imposes term limits on elected officials for the city council, board of education, and mayor. The city has been advised that the term limits are not enforceable. (Correction: Original version had omitted “not.”)

It’s not too complicated to understand: term limits should never have made it to the ballot because they require a special act of the state legislature, and Bristol did not and does not have one. I see a couple of options to correct this: one would be to put the issue on the ballot in November so that people can reverse their previous vote; another would be to turn the issue over to our state legislators and let them bring it to the state for a resolution.

And of course, we continue to position ourselves at TBE to take the next steps to foster community journalism here in Bristol. We hope that you will continue to support us, share our stories and, possibly, become an email subscriber on our website.

“Come Sunday morning” is intended to be a weekly review, a recounting of the past week and an anticipation of week to come. Among its features will be reviews of old and new books, sharing of favorite podcasts, some family news, Bristol events and happenings and issues surrounding education, work and community journalism. He can be reached at dfortier@bristoledition.org.