Thirty-three years ago I broke a promise. I told a friend leaving for the summer that I would write to her. Six weeks later I faced her accusing smile, digging for excuses. Instead, I shoveled myself into an epic act of atonement; in penance I would deliver a one-hundred-page letter. I strapped myself to the task, determined to grind out every page, to pay for my omission and prove to all doubters I could. Starting with profuse and drawn-out apology,…
Robert Vander LugtDecember 1, 2011