2025 is coming to a close, and now, more than ever before, I feel the pull to go inward and reflect on where we are, where we have come from and where we are heading. “We” means ‘me’ and it also means the collective human ‘we’. Even Scrooge saw the light and drew some important lessons on how to take stock (albeit the hard way!) of his life and began to let gratitude, joy and generosity guide him.

Quechee Lakes creator, John Davidson, always envisioned a
snowy scene with horse-drawn wagons.

Despite the prevailing messages in the airwaves highlighting our apparent irreconcilable, conflicting differences, essentially all humans want the same things. Thus the reason ‘words of wisdom’ and clichés exist – because they often ring universally true for every human. So, please view the cliché sprinkles and (mixed) metaphors as words of wisdom meant to connect us – the cherry on top, so to speak!

Personally, like many people around the world, I sense the darkness that seems to hang over almost all corners of the globe. It’s easy to get caught up in the negativity, the name-calling, the shouting matches, the violence we witness multiple times a day on mainstream media. What’s much harder, but much healthier, is to just stop the rain from falling on you. Put up your umbrella, close your windows, batten down the hatches. Shield yourself from the pelting negativity that wears down your joie de vivre. As individuals, we have the power to focus on what’s good and what’s working, and to clear away the clouds so the sun may shine brightly on all of the good that happens everywhere, every day.

Mrs. Fogg’s answer in 1973 Quechee Times.

This is my “why” for Greater Good Media, and the reason I make sure that each of my papers publishes stories that uplift and inspire. The mission is to focus on all that’s good at the local level and then let the laws of physics take it from there. Pretty soon, the positive energy created through the good-news stories will emanate out generating a ripple effect that grows exponentially. Or, like the butterfly effect, by highlighting one small flutter of community kindness here, positive change may be felt in much bigger ways in a distant land.

We can be the change we want to see. And, in this season of slowing down, gathering together and taking stock, we absolutely can tune out the noise, shift our priorities and give peace a chance.

Awe

It’s time to witness and immerse yourself in moments of pure “awe.” One of the best ways to do this is to actually stop and smell the roses or marvel at what’s right in front of you. In those moments, all is calm and all is truly bright.

When you see a sunset as awe-inspiring and beautiful as this one pictured here (as seen from a window in a Ridge condo), you cannot help but stare in silence at the miracle that is before you. A deep sense of gratitude envelops your being – you’re grateful for the privilege of living in this beautiful part of the world… in this community. You’re grateful for the people in your life who may be sharing this moment of beauty with you. You are grateful for being alive on this extraordinary planet during this incredible time in human history.

Jennifer Lorin (MacMillen) was the snowfl ake in the Christmas production at the Quechee Grammar School in 1974 (now the UV Waldorf School).

Gratitude

Santa visits Quechee

Which brings me to gratitude. Last night, I watched a documentary called Gratitude Revealed by filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg (who also produced Fantastic Fungi). Essentially, the film “reveals how practicing gratitude can help us reconnect with ourselves, the Earth, and one another in a world where disconnection often prevails. It reminds us that happiness is a choice we can nurture.” (Gaia TV)

As you gather together for Thanksgiving and Christmas, or any other holiday and tradition you celebrate throughout the year, remind yourself that happiness is a choice. Now a cliché clarion call, allowing yourself to feel truly grateful for what you have in this moment, even in times of darkness, you will feel your flicker of light and hope emerge and, if you continue to fan the flame of gratitude moment by moment, you will become the light that brings people back to safety…back home. And what can invoke a greater feeling of personal happiness and contentment than to be a beacon of light for others!

Working Together and Sharing for the Common Good

And it’s true: these times feel like we are on a rickety wooden ship in the middle of the ocean with an ominous, powerful storm a-brewing. Dark clouds, high winds, nothing stable to hold onto; uncertain future. But, the good news is, when we have all hands on deck and we pull together and balance our weight, we can right the ship and be ready to recalibrate our course when the storm passes. And the storm always passes.

Joy

Dalai Lama, Doug Abrams, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu

What is joy? It can easily be mistaken for the fun times we have or the thrill of experiencing or receiving something new. But, in fact, those are just dopamine hits. Joy is that feeling in your chest when your heart is open and fear is at bay and you can be vulnerable and feel safe at the same time. It’s in these moments when generosity can flow through us. And, in order to have joy yourself, you must bring joy to others. Or so says His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

One of the best books I’ve ever listened to is called the Book of Joy wherein journalist and author Doug Abrams reveals what joy really looks like in his conversations with these two Nobel Prize winners about how they cultivated joy even in the face of extreme adversity. If you need some help reclaiming joy this holiday season, listen to this book and be prepared for your heart to fill up and overflow!

Peace

The ultimate cliché is revealed by the fact that practically every pageant queen ever asked says that their one greatest wish is for “peace on Earth.” Why is that? Because who doesn’t want peace on Earth? It’s time to bring that back and make it everyone’s greatest wish. It’s time to make Peace On Earth our top priority. It’s time to shine the light on all the good. It’s time to call out and celebrate every act of kindness. It’s time to catch our kids doing what’s “right” (and just). It’s time to be the change we want to see in the world.

Left: Dewey & Maisie, the author’s daughters, 1999. Center: Jen & Andy (right), 1968. Right: Andy Lorin had a degenerative disease that would never allow him to drive, so Santa gave him a go-cart. There wasn’t a dry eye as we witnessed his pure elation when seeing the surprise “under the tree.”

So, as we head into this season of stillness and chaos, joy and stress, love and madness… all of it, stop to reflect and smell the roses (and pine needles)…

Let’s find magic in gathering together again. Let’s feel awe in this season of stillness. Let’s be grateful for being alive. Let’s feel joy as we witness innocence and pure delight in the faces of our collective children, and let’s then radiate that joy out to the world. Let there be peace on Earth. And let it begin with me.

Sheltering-in-place and the consequences of Covid-19 impacted people in dramatically different ways. Without minimizing how devastating the pandemic was (and still is) to millions of people around the world, as with every major life event, silver linings are there for those who look for them. Some people just hunkered down and perhaps welcomed the slower pace; others found themselves going bonkers trying to homeschool their kids while working full-time from home with no social outlets. Regardless of where one found themselves along the sanity spectrum, how some people responded to counter the negative impact in their lives is evident among the stories and submissions to follow.

You may have seen Rowley Hazard and Madonna Gordon before Covid-19 forced us all to our respective homes. They make up the Mad Hazard Band (www.madhazardband.com) and have enjoyed performing for QLLA residents at various events at the Club, and for other appreciative audiences at venues around the Upper Valley and beyond over the past couple of years.

Rather than quiet their instruments or play to blank walls, the Mad Hazard Band took it outside.

“Madonna and I played and sang jazz, bossa nova and pop in Davidson’s Thursday nights all last fall and winter, now quieted by the virus. We have bookings through next fall all around the area but we can’t perform until the coast is clear,” emailed Rowley. “We have sent out some ‘virtual’ tunes, but one of our favorite ‘gigs’ was an impromptu back porch concert from our Dartmouth Place 5B deck one evening last week. People came out and listened and even danced ‘at a distance’ down below. It was a hoot!”

Quechee Cares

“Quechee Cares, represents the best of the Upper Valley in action for others,” said Michael Redmond, executive director of The Upper Valley Haven.  

Quechee Cares is a new fundraising endeavor from The Quechee Club community. They have raised over $27,000 during the month of May.  Over the years, members of The Quechee Club have been very generous with their volunteer time and donations, and Quechee Cares continues that tradition.

Charitable contributions were used to help the Upper Valley Haven, local Quechee restaurants, and frontline workers at DHMC. 

Donations were given to the Haven to fund the Food Shelf and other programs. In addition, Quechee Cares paid Quechee Pizza Chef and The Public House Pub to provide “thank-you meals” at DHMC and to supply meals to those in need through the Haven.  Nick Tsounakis, owner of Quechee Pizza Chef, stated, “We are grateful for Quechee Cares. Their efforts to support small businesses and people in need are what our community is all about.” Andrew Schain, owner of Public House, was amazed at the response from Quechee donors. “These are caring people who acted fast, and got food to those in need.”

Over the years, Quechee Club members have volunteered at local hospitals, Quechee Library, the Haven, local schools, VINS, Headrest, David’s House, Friends of Veterans, Listen, WISE and the Garden Club and community beautification to name just a few.  In addition, members have also been very active the past 10 years with the Quechee Elves, working closely with the Norwich-Hartford Holiday Baskets purchasing clothing and gifts for children in need. The Quechee Club members, in conjunction with QLLA Charities, have raised over $2.5 million in the past 35 years for CHaD.

And the People Stayed Home

QLLA resident, Lynn Luczkowski, emailed the Quechee Times on April 30th:

““I… wanted to share this beautiful poem by Kitty O’ Meara, who has a lovely take on our dealing with, and eventual recovery from, the Covid-19 pandemic…”

I’ve never actually played golf. The only time I ever really hit a ball or two was with my former husband. As we casually practiced on a driving range one fine day many years ago, we both suddenly looked up and in a split second saw our balls collide in midair about 25 yards out! I figured I better quit while I was ahead of the stats curve.

As with most things in life, it’s best not to judge a book by its cover. I admit it, ever since I was a kid growing up in Quechee, I had somewhat of a fear of, which manifested as disdain for, golf. I thought that it was only for wealthy, white, businessmen or old men with an occasional snobby, old woman added to the mix. Remember, that was from a young girl’s perspective in the 1970s.

Fast forward to today. Just look at the good that golf does in the world. QLLA Charities, alone, has donated over $2 million to the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth (CHaD). Relationships are built and connections are reinforced on golf courses of every size and condition. Grandparents spend time with their grandchildren in an activity that gets both generations outside and engaged in something they can do together. Business relationships are solidified as the initial agenda fades to the background in the face of having fun. People from all socioeconomic backgrounds can join together on the course and practice life skills and values that serve to unite.

One organization that I discovered while editing an article in my publication in St. Petersburg, FL (northeastjournal.org), called The First Tee, brings all of the good stuff that golf has to offer into one national, non-profit organization.

According to their website:

“Through after-school and in-school programs, we help shape the lives of young people from all walks of life by reinforcing values like integrity, respect and perseverance through the game of golf. And it’s making a difference. Our research-proven programs are having a positive impact on participants, their families and their communities.”

Since inception in 1997, more than 12.2 million young people have participated in The First Tee programs offered at local chapters, including the ForeU Golf Center in West Lebanon, NH; national school programs which introduce golf into the physical education programs at public schools, and; programming offered at youth-serving after-school programs like local Y’s and other similar organizations.

For many of you reading this post, golf may have personal significance to you, but perhaps is taken for granted. Now, imagine for a moment, being a young person living in a disadvantaged community with little hope for breaking out of that cycle of a life of economic struggle. Now imagine being that same young person on a driving range with a mentor teaching you and encouraging you and praising you as you learn a new physical skill. And, even more importantly, as you learn how to handle frustration, cultivate patience, practice good sportsmanship and believe in yourself. This is at the core of what The First Tee is all about. Not only do I love what it does for the youth served, but being a mentor – engaging in a sport you love, while passing on that love and positively impacting the life of a young person – must be the greatest gift of all!

Next time you are out on the course, whether for business or pleasure, think of golf as a vehicle for giving and enjoy yourself all the more!

As an 8-year-old back in 1972 when I first moved to Quechee, I didn’t pay attention to what the greater vision or broader impact was when my former step-father, John Davidson (and his colleagues) created Quechee Lakes. I just knew that I had a place to hang out with friends at the then teen center located in the red barn; ski all day all weekend with just my friends – no parents to slow me down; swim in the pool or Lake Pinneo (although I’m not sure the Lake was even created that early on) and any number of wholesome, just plain fun activities. Families came from all over New England and even a few lucky Bermudians found another piece of paradise to call home #2.

The locals, those of us members who lived in Quechee year ’round, had the greatest place on earth to grow up. Our day-to-day life included lasting benefits that we all took for granted at the time – as kids are wont to do. The natural world, which was the backdrop of our lives, formed our playground. We felt safe and loved at the four-classroom schoolhouse called the Quechee Grammar School (now the Waldorf School) with homemade lunches cooked daily from scratch from local women who came in daily to feed us. Our after-school activities were prompted by “Go play outside!” No order or rules or structure except those that we made up on the spot. While we didn’t know it at the time, even the Green had a primary purpose of bringing people together. I remember overhearing John Davidson describe his vision of the Quechee Green as a local gathering place where people could sit by the river and enjoy concerts in the gazebo and that there might be shops and eateries, in short, a common ground location for QLLA members and Quechee proper residents, alike. We kids just saw it as a giant playground!

On the weekends and vacation weeks, a whole new group of friends would come to town at which point their and our lives and perspectives broadened. While it was interesting to hear about the worlds we all lived in during our day-to-day lives, we had limited time and had better get to the fun stuff… which is what Quechee was all about! As kids we knew it, but even more surprisingly, we witnessed our parents becoming more relaxed and fun… bonus! Even back then you could tell who was “super rich” and who wasn’t, but it was clear that if arrogance or insecurities about that issue arose, they were quickly overshadowed and forgotten because, again, there was fun stuff to tend to and that was far more important in the scheme of life… and still is in Quechee.

What draws people to Quechee and what makes it so special for the 1500+/- families who make it their home away from home (and some choose to settle here for good), is that there is a freedom and acceptance to leave the rest of the crazy world behind and to just enjoy life as it is meant to be enjoyed – communing with family members across the generations and with friends old and new; engaging in health-promoting mind/body/spirit activities; offering up brain power, physical time and energy and other resources for the greater good (a la QLLA Charities, Board participation and other volunteer efforts); and just plain being happy to be here!

Who one is at work and what costume he or she happens to wear when going to the office every day is inconsequential in Quechee. There is a common ground and that is a love for this place where everyone can truly feel home.