Being Wise Ten April 11, 2021
For Marie Hammond
In Memory of Sam Hammond, August 22, 1947–February 25, 2021
Oh, Sam! I miss you! You gave yourself
so freely. You egged me on to do a book
with my grandmother’s diary, and then
you helped. You made sure I had omitted
no lines of possible research on what their
life was like in the China of 1910, and who
exactly they all were, these people they
mention. You even found some answers
for me. Five different families learned
about Grace, A China Diary: 1910-1916
and wrote to me of their relatives, friends
of Grace and Harvey. Grace had bipolar
disease, not understood well in 1910, but
the missionary doctors were wiser than
those in Oklahoma when they returned
home. I came to understand Grace better
–my goal for doing the book. I remember
how you and Marie celebrated with me.
Other times you were there when we
shared dinner. I loved to make you
laugh. It was so easy. I saved up
outrageous stories out of my own life.
Once you joined a small writing class
I was teaching. I had a young black
student, new to writing. I could tell
you approved of how I worked with
him. I always believed my students
could write well and better. And they
did. You left us in February. But for
me, you’re still here, part of my life
and thought. A model of a loving man
in an increasingly distraught world.
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