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Old Lyme’s Citizen of the Year to be Announced at Annual Town Meeting, Jan. 28

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Town of Old Lyme’s Annual Business Meeting will be held on Monday, Jan. 28, at 7:30 p.m. in the Meeting Hall of the Old Lyme Memorial Town Hall.

The first agenda item will be acceptance of the Annual Town Report for the fiscal year July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012, as submitted by the Board of Finance.
This will be followed by the announcement of the recipient of the Board of Selectmen’s Citizen of the Year for 2012.  The name of the person selected for this honor is held a closely-guarded secret until the announcement is made, known only to the board of selectmen and a few people intimately involved with the award.  The honoree him/herself is not advised in advance.
Other matters that will be brought to a vote will be to approve an amount not to exceed $32,500 for the installation of equipment on the Mile Creek Tower to allow interagency communication between Police, Fire, EMS, Public Works and other agencies, as recommended by the Board of Finance and Board of Selectmen.

A vote will also be taken to elect the successor to Scott A. Chester as a member of the Board of Assessment Appeals for the period from Jan. 2013 to the next municipal election in November 2013 in accordance with the minority representation provisions of Section 9-167a of the Connecticut General Statutes.

“Angels of Destruction” by Keith Donohue

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Again we saved Jen until Sunday.  A book about angels seemd to fit this traditional day of worship, even if they are “Angels of Destruction.”  Keith Donahue, the author of this surprising and highly recommended book, has a day-job in DC’s National Archives, proving perhaps that we can all be authors by night. 

Keith Donohue wrote a very interesting book called The Stolen Child, so I had hopes for this one as well.

Angels of Destruction is good.  He presents the story of Margaret Quinn and her daughter Erica.  Erica ran away as a teenager and hasn’t seen her mother since.  Margaret is old and ill and has never recovered from her loss.

A young girl named Nora, who we quickly figure out is an angel, helps them both find one another again.  You are only peripherally aware of the larger picture for most of the book.  You are more focused on Margaret and Nora and the façade they build to take care of one another.

Nora shows up at Margaret’s door and they pretend she is Erica’s daughter so she can stay.

Nora goes to school and becomes more interesting by the page.

She has gifts that amaze her peers and teachers.  She has a compassion and understanding beyond her age and possesses almost magical artistic talents.  The children are enthralled by her before they become afraid.

Margaret’s past unfolds as her sister arrives and when we are shown Erica’s story the pieces all fit together.  Nora has been more instrumental in their lives than they know.  There are darker angels circling who do not want Nora to stay, but she must.  She can stand their faithless suffering.

She oversteps her normalcy and manifests talents incomprehensible and ultimately frightening to the townspeople.

As the effect that Nora is having on their lives becomes more profound, we see a tangled web unknot.  There is a freedom approaching that they did not anticipate.

Angels of Destruction is a fascinating premise in an ordinary story.  It is like a very well made suit that hangs a bit strangely.  It is not quite hopeful or hopeless.  He reminds me a bit of Sean Greer in his positive encapsulation of unhappiness.  There is great joy to be taken from great sadness.

Keep your head up and your faith will see you through.