Teenager’s Story Draws Compassion
Dear Ann Landers: You printed a letter from “Seventeen Going on 30,” a young girl who had given birth to a stillborn child.
I was barely 16 when I found out I was pregnant. I miscarried when I was about 10 weeks along. I was amazed how many people told me how “lucky” I was. How could I be lucky? The emotional conflict that I endured was incredible. I was mourning the loss of a child. If I had been 25 and married, no one would have dared tell me how “lucky” I was.
I realize now, as I look at my beautiful 1-year-old son, that I was given another chance. I was not ready to be a mother at 16. I have taken that “other chance” and become a national award-winning teacher. When I miscarried my baby at age 16, all I wanted was to be treated as a grieving mother. That girl who wrote to you needs the love and support of her friends and family. I hope she gets it. - Indiana Woman
Dear Woman: And so do I. Your letter was one of hundreds I received expressing compassion for the young woman who wrote. It is enormously rewarding when my readers rush to console someone whose experience mirrors their own. Knowing that my column helps people to be more compassionate is a wonderful feeling.
Dear Ann Landers: This is for all bosses everywhere: Please do not honor me during National Secretaries Week. If you are going to honor anyone, let it be all your employees, not just one of them.
When you first started out, I did everything. But your company grew, and you hired a bookkeeper, then a research assistant, salespeople and a technical adviser. And let’s not forget the custodian and the cleaning staff. They are the ones who keep the air conditioning going and the coffee pots clean.
When I was a bookkeeper, I was never given any kind of recognition because I didn’t have the title of “secretary.” I know if you print this, Ann, my boss will receive at least 20 copies of it on his desk. I just want to say how much I appreciate the 19 other people who help me do my work. - Secretary in Oklahoma City
Dear Oklahoma Secretary: How generous of you to forfeit your place in the sun and share it with others on this special day. Thank you on behalf of all those to whom you gave a lift today. You can be sure they will hold their heads a little bit higher.
Dear Ann Landers: My wife of 44 years and I went to Martin, Tenn., for her Class of ‘50 high school reunion. Back in 1950, Martin was a town of about 4,000. Forty-eight graduates and their spouses turned out for the reunion. Each class member gave a brief synopsis of his or her life, describing what had happened since graduation. I was astounded. Ann, although two had been widowed, there was not a single divorce among them. That must beat all odds in the books. How do you account for such a record? - Seaford, Va.
Dear Seaford: My hat is off to those folks who were raised in and around Martin, Tenn. Although we have made great strides in technology, medicine and space exploration since 1950, we have lost some of the old-fashioned virtues, mainly the importance of something called “character.” Too bad.
Congratulations to the Class of 1950 for knowing the true meaning of the word commitment. These days, when so many marriages end in divorce, it’s lovely to know of a community with such a spectacular record of success.