There are times, said Thomas Paine, that try men's souls. We live in such times. This means we must all make sacrifices. My sacrifice for today is that there will be no broccoli tonight.

NO BROCCOLI TONIGHT!!

By

Mel Hathorn



I was saddened this morning when I read in the Hartford Courant Business section that the Executive President and CEO of People’s United Bank, Phillip Sherringham, had a significant drop in his salary from last year. The poor man only earned about 2.9 million dollars in 2008. His income in 2007 was 10.6 million, a loss of 7.7 million dollars. I was moved to send him a sympathy card along with a personal note.

The card was a tasteful one. The outside had a large abstract of a flower–a rose?–with a star in the middle. The outside print read, “So sorry for your loss.” Opening the card the reader would see a second star enclosed flower with a statement that read:

“No one knows ‘Why.’

“Still we ask.

“And only time can answer, in gentle waves of memory that wash the sadness away.”

I was also moved to send the following note of encouragement:

To Mr. Phillip Sherringham
President and CEO of People’s United bank
850 Main Street
Bridgeport, CT 06604

My Dear Mr. Sherringham,

I was saddened to read about your loss this morning in the Hartford Courant. Such a significant loss of 7.7 million dollars must truly be a burden to you and you family. Know that you are in my thoughts and prayers.

I am enclosing a dollar to help you go through this stressful period. I will try to start a movement to get hundreds of thousands of people to contribute a dollar to you.

It won’t be necessary to repay the dollars; we must all help each other out during these trying times. Although the little ones will have to go without their vegetables tonight, please be comforted by imagining the expressions on their faces when I tell them, “I am sorry, but there will be no broccoli tonight.”


Sincerely,



Mel Hathorn