Musings and Thoughts for Tuesday, September 1, 2026

Tuesday, September 1, 2026 – Orlando, Florida

Hi there, Dear Reader.

Here we are on the first day of a new month and a new meteorological season. Fall has arrived, even though – unlike New England at this time of year – it feels like a typical late summer day in Central Florida. As I write this, it is 85°F (30°C) under heavy rain showers – another reminder that even though the leaves will be changing colors in the northern latitudes, it’s still the wet season in the subtropics until late October or early November.

According to the forecast, it’s going to be a humid and often stormy day. Orange County residents can expect a high of 86°F (30°C) this afternoon, with thunderstorms popping up here and there for good measure.

I don’t use computers or any other electronic devices during a thunderstorm, so even if I wasn’t in the vise-like grip of writer’s block, I must take a day off from the writer’s desk.

But, before I go, here’s a passage from my novel, Reunion: Coda, which I published in April of last year and is available on several formats on Amazon:

Time Doesn’t Heal All Wounds

“What’s past is prologue.” ― William Shakespeare, The Tempest

Some phrases just get under my skin. Take “Everything happens for a reason,” for example. It’s like nails on a chalkboard to me. It’s worse than “Think outside the box” or “At the end of the day…” – those overused phrases that you hear on TV all the time. It’s just a lazy way of saying something without really saying anything at all.

I used to date this girl named Cheryl Lynn who would always say “Everything happens for a reason” whenever something bad happened. A family dies in a fire in Brooklyn? Everything happens for a reason. A marriage falls apart? Everything happens for a reason. A war breaks out? Everything happens for a reason.  Even when she learned about JFK’s assassination in history class, she said it.

We’re not together anymore, me and Cheryl Lynn. She was a good person – kind and generous. I remember one time when we were walking down the street and saw a homeless man shivering in the cold. Without hesitation, she took off her coat and gave it to him. But she had this habit of repeating that phrase over and over again. It wasn’t the only reason we broke up – there were other things, like her obsession with America’s Most Wanted and Cops, and her love for Newt Gingrich’s toxic ultraconservative politics – but not having to hear her say “Everything happens for a reason” again was definitely, a plus.

Another phrase that really grinds my gears is “Time heals all wounds.” My mom used to say that all the time when I was growing up. She’s been gone for eight years now, but I still remember her trying to comfort me with those words.

I remember one time in particular when she said it. It was right after my breakup with Kathy “Cherry” Maraschino. We had been going steady since seventh grade at South Miami Junior High School (Home of the Wildcats), but then she cheated on me with Harry Schneider – the “bad boy” who played heavy metal in his garage band – during the summer between ninth grade and our sophomore year at South Miami Senior High School (Home of the Cobras).

My mom tried to cheer me up by telling me that time would heal my wounds. But even then, I knew it wasn’t true. Time might make the pain less sharp, but it doesn’t heal all wounds. Some things just stay with you, no matter how much time passes. 

The second time my mom tried to comfort me with “Time heals all wounds” was on my last day of high school. It was June 1983, and I had just graduated from South Miami Senior High School (Home of the Cobras). I was about to leave for Harvard – which is in Cambridge, Massachusetts – on a full academic scholarship to study history.

But even with all that to look forward to, I was heartbroken. I had fallen in love with Martina Elizabeth Reynaud – or Marty, as everyone called her. She was smart, friendly, and a wonderful singer with a beautiful alto voice and a charming British accent. And she was gorgeous – the most beautiful girl in our school.

We had met in the school’s choral group, and I had tried my best not to fall for her. But it was impossible. She was just too amazing. I didn’t act on my feelings when I had a chance, though, so she and I never became a “we.” My fault, I fear.  And even though my mom tried to tell me that time would heal my wounds, I knew it wasn’t true. Some things just stay with you forever.

I’ve told you before that my heartbreak over Marty was the second – and in many ways, the worst – of my teenage heartbreaks. And if you know me well, you already know why.

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