My first memory of the Boston Marathon was in 1970. My dad took me right to Boylston Street, between Fairfield and Gloucester. It was pouring out as I recall. We saw Ron Hill of Great Britain going by, seemingly running the race alone, and smashing the Boston record in 2 hours 10 min. and some change. My dad taught me that day that no matter the conditions, one never leaves the Marathon course until the great Johnny Kelly runs by. I've seen almost every Marathon since.

Why is the right to bear arms still so important that it deserves to be the Second Amendment? Depending on which estimate you believe, there are between 9 and 9.8 guns for every 10 people living in the United States, and that includes all the people born this morning. With all the "stuff" we have going on in our lives, with all our wants and needs and desires; is owning a gun number two on our priority list?

January is like Spring Training. The slate is wiped clean. Our record is 0-0 and even the championship is a possibility.

There is “part” of us that doesn’t belong to us. It's a "part" someplace deep inside that belongs to our children. I don’t believe that “part” gets activated until we become parents. When we are young, we are so focused on ourselves it’s near impossible to have the proper appreciation for that “part” of our parents that every son and daughter owns.

Believe it or not, buying products online this holiday season doesn't mean you are exempt from sales tax. In fact, the state actually expects you to self report and pay what you owe. As mind-numbing as that sounds, it's true. If a company has physical presence in Massachusetts, it is required to charge you sales tax for online orders, report and pay the tax it has collected monthly.

We take great pride in the small role we played to help bring Brookline Local First to our Brookline. Our publication was founded 7 years ago, in part, to support the great work of Brookline's local, independent, business community. We have taken time also applaud the few non-independent businesses that have gone out of their way to support their independent neighbors.

The pit in our collective stomachs is gone. Tuesday morning we were quietly pensive. Now, we are just as quietly relieved. It seems we've been through too much to do much more than give thanks.

The current dismal state of the world is only exacerbated by a movement in our country we cannot abide; the resurgence of disingenuous platforms, intolerance, and disregard for future generations.

If you are gay or even doubt the existence of a God, however, you cannot be a Scout or a Scouter. You can be a gay astronaut, soldier, firefighter, police officer, US Senator, or President of the United States, but you can’t be a Boy Scout or a leader of Boy Scouts.

A new perspective can
Change us.
Make us laugh.
Give us the courage to share.