Category Archives: Sunday Notes

Sunday Notes & Letters for Week 23

While I didn’t grow up listening so much to the likes of Minor Threat, Fugazi, Sonic Youth and Hüsker Dü, my brother Ryan did. So I am familiar with some of the music. When Ryan and his wife moved to their current home in Arlington, VA they quickly learned that they lived only a block away from the house where Minor Threat and Fugazi got their start. In fact, on more than one occasion, he has mistakenly received mail for frontman Ian Mackaye.

I saw this tweet last week:

Photo: @FooFighters

Photo: @FooFighters

Dave Grohl, living in Springfield, VA, was just 14 when he sent that letter to Mackaye. And it was probably sent to the house next door to Ryan and Mandy. Grohl didn’t post more than the last page where he asks the Mackaye to give him a call – between 3-10pm no less! I love it. I’ve read a few things that insinuate that they are friends today. Very cool.

Thirty-two years later, Grohl is now one of the most successful musicians on the planet. Enjoying early fame from his days as the drummer for the band Nirvana, today he’s been leading Foo Fighters for more than twenty years.

 

Sunday Notes & Letters for Week 22

Photo: webodysseum.com

Photo: webodysseum.com

In November of 1940 a Cuban boy wrote a letter to Franklin Delano Roosevelt to congratulate him on winning reelection. He even offered some advice to him about how to source iron needed for the American ships being used in World War II.

The letter is penned by Fidel Castro himself. In the letter he says that he is twelve at the time, however, that contradicts current records that suggest he would have been 14. Perhaps he made a mistake with the numbers in English.

Enjoy the letter. The young Castro had decent penmanship and his signature reminds me a bit of mine at that age – lots of dramatic swirls of the pen!

Source: National Archives Catalog

Source: National Archives Catalog

Source: National Archives Catalog

Source: National Archives Catalog

Transcript of letter

Santiago de Cuba, November 6th 1940

Mr. Franklin Roosevelt
President of the United States:

My good friend Roosevelt:
 
I don’t know very English, but I know as much as write to you.
I like to hear the radio, and I am very happy, because I heard in it, that you will be President for a new (periodo).
I am twelve years old. I am a boy but I think very much, but I do not think that I am writing to the President of the United States.
If you like, give me a ten dollars bill green american in the letter, because never, I have not seen a ten dollars bill green american and I would like to have one of them.
 
My address is:
Sr. Fidel Castro
Colegio de Dolores
Santiago de Cuba
Oriente Cuba
 
I don’t know very English but I know very much Spanish and I suppose you don’t know very Spanish but you know very English because you are American but I am not American.
 
Thank you very much
Good by. Your friend,
 
Fidel Castro
 
If you want iron to make your ships I will show to you the bigest (minas) of iron in the land. They are in Mayorí, Oriente, Cuba.

 

In a 1975 interview, Castro said he received a response from the White House – but no $10 bill.

 

Sunday Notes & Letters for Week 21

Day 96- Reyes-2Writing a handwritten letter or note every day for the past five months has been so much fun. Today I thought I would share a blog post I found from Traci Bild that talks about why you too should be writing letters and more importantly, why you should write them now instead of later. She’s got six reasons – all good ones.

Who will you write to this week?

 

Sunday Notes & Letters for Week 20

Mother's DayToday is Mother’s Day and I want to wish every mother a very special day. It’s a day that I, and I suspect anyone who has also lost their mother, faces with mixed emotions.

I won’t be buying her flowers today, or taking her to lunch. I won’t hear her soft southern voice. And I won’t be able to give her a hug and tell her how much I love her. Despite these things, today is not a sad day for me. Don’t get me wrong, I miss her terribly and often do allow myself to feel sad that she is no longer with us. But not today.  Today is a day to celebrate what a wonderful mother she was to Ryan and me.

The hard days are the ones when I want to pick up the phone to call her and share something special in my life. Or tell her about the book I’m reading that takes place in the hollers of Appalachia where she grew up. Or days when I don’t feel well and instinctively think to call Mom and ask her for advice. Sometimes it’s for the smallest things like wanting to ask her if it was a cup or half cup of flour in the recipe I’m making.

But for every one of those moments, I’ve got a thousand memories that I carry close to my heart for just those occasions. It’s my little way of remembering her and what an extraordinary person she was. My promise to her today and always is to make laughter part of every day, have integrity in all that I do, show kindness to others and always take a few minutes to dance in the kitchen.

Mom and Dad at a cocktail party in Hawaii circa 1969. I'm not sure who took the photo but my brother took a lot of time to restore and colorize this image.

Mom and Dad at a cocktail party in Hawaii circa 1969. I’m not sure who took the photo but my brother took a lot of time to restore and colorize this image.

 

 

Sunday Notes and Letters for Week 19

Today I want to share a letter I received this week. You may remember that three weeks ago on Day 100 I wrote to Dr. Ellsworth Wareham, the 100-year-old cardiologist that was interviewed recently by Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

He wrote me back! How cool is that. You should watch the link above with Dr. Sanjay Gupta – you’ll be inspired by Dr. Wareham.

Dr Wareham letter

Dear Read-

What an achievement – to write a letter a day!

Concerning prevention of coronary artery disease, I refer you to 2 books: Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Caldwell Esselstyn and The China Study by Colin Campbell. In summary – you must not eat animal products. 

I think the material in these books is scientific and highly reliable.

Remember all tastes are acquired except for breast milk. Your taste buds can be changed in 3 months, so you can learn to like what is healthy. Just start eating healthfully.

All the best,
Ellsworth W.