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Joy and sorrow in Glen Ellen

In Glen Ellen, as in any small town - indeed as in anyone's life - joy and sorrow intertwine. Today's two items offer a rainbow's bridging of the good life in Glen Ellen.

First up: Congratulations to Hannah Hindley, formerly of Garric Avenue, as she prepares for her wedding to her true love. That would be Zachary Simonson-Bond, of Washington state.

Hannah is one of our hometown girls who attended Dunbar, wowed us all with her acting stints in various local shows, won awards and accolades for her terrific writing and then trotted off to Harvard. At graduation from that esteemed university, Hannah was honored with the creative writing prize. Even as I wrote at the time, pretty heady stuff for a cute kid from Glen Ellen.

But obviously, Hannah was - and is - more than a cute kid. She's an amazingly talented, adventurous young woman. Among her adventures were a winter semester at historic Mystic Seaport, a sailing position aboard the award-winning "Adventuress," as well as teaching kids a love of outdoors as an environmental teacher with the Yosemite Institute.

Hometown honors include being the "best babysitter ever" to eponymously-honored Hannah Horowitz and "best big sister" to neighbor Syndney Blanchard. Currently, Hannah Hindley works as a field educator at NatureBridge in Washington state.

As we used to say back in the day, groom Zach, you've made a good catch. In fact, the best. As for Zachary, he is the development and communication coordinator at Sound Experience, an environmental and sailing organization in Puget Sound. A graduate of the University of Washington, Zach lives in Port Townsend. He's a many-honored fellow, as well. Among those honors is the prestigious Jody Deering Nyquist Award for Excellence in Public Speaking.

As B.J. Blanchard, who sent me this good news ends, "Beyond that, they are two beautiful young people perfectly suited for each other, both sailors and lovers of the sea, both curious, active, fun-loving and committed to making the world a better place." And, ah yes, "deeply in love."

And that brings us to our second item today: evidence of the power of love in Glen Ellen. Last summer when O'Donnell Lane neighbor Jerry Levin died, his many Glen Ellen friends immediately gathered to mourn his passing and help his family with the tasks of cleaning and clearing his house. Among the workers was Jerry's friend, Pat Carlin, who noted how generously grief was commuted to helping, as love for Jerry was turned to action that was as healing for friends as it was helpful to family.

Jerry was known and loved by many in our village. When my boys were little, they asked me if that was the Jerry Garcia. With a smile, I said, of course it was Jerry, just not that famous Jerry. Still he remained famous and well-loved in our town.

Our condolences to the family, Sharon, Sara and Summer. Because so many have asked, they are planning a memorial celebration in our town. That will be held at one of Jerry's favorite haunts, the Jack London Lodge, 13740 Arnold, at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15. Family happily encourages you to wear your favorite tie-dye and flip-flops in honor of Jerry. The bright colors and casual air that harkens back to Jerry's heyday, would please him, as it would to know that his dear friends and neighbors, while mourning his death, will celebrate his life with love and joy.

The online version of this column includes a stunning photo of the newly engaged couple and a winking side-glance from Jerry. Enjoy those with my hope that they recall many good times in your own journey. 

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Share your good news with friends and neighbors in Glen Ellen. Call me at 996-5995; write me at Box 518, GE 95442. Or email me at creekbottom@earthlink.net. If your news requires timeliness, please be sure to contact me at least two weeks before the run date.