To the Editor:

One never knows where encouragement will come from, and I was much buoyed to find it last week in the form of a sign created for me by my granddaughter.

I planned to attend a panel discussion sponsored by the League of Women Voters on climate change and I mentioned to my granddaughter that I was going there after I dropped her off at home. She disappeared and re-emerged a while later for some spelling help with what turned out to be an aid for me. She explained all the symbols she used and proudly handed it over.

I simply told her, “Your sign is very nice. Thank you.” But, her sign was more than very nice: it represented, represents, the reason my generation hasn’t any option of being too tired and discouraged to press on. Perhaps I can express to her in this letter the fullness of my appreciation.

An open letter to my granddaughter:

Dear Sally,

Thank you for your super, terrific sign! Wow! It was the best surprise for me and had the most perfect message that we must “Protect the Nature.”

I did, indeed, carry your sign to my environmental meeting last night at the town hall in Bethlehem. It wasn’t exactly a rally as I think you understood it to be, but I knew your sign would be helpful.

I showed it to many people I met there. One of our most important lawmakers, U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko, liked your sign. In fact, I took a picture of him holding it to show you how impressed he was that our local kindergarteners care so much about our earth.

That meeting brought together a lot of people with good ideas about what all of our citizens can do to keep our environment safe: studying the problems, trying new practices, passing protecting laws, even doing small things like composting table scraps.

There was a lot of good news about what is being done to keep our air and water and soil clean and about the many successes.

There was a cloud in the voices of the speakers, though, and among the audience members talking to each other, if you can understand what I mean. As positive as people tried to be, it was the eve of the president telling the world that our country will no longer be part of something called the Paris Climate Accord. That is one of the most important efforts of our time, where more than 190 countries have agreed to cheer each other on to take steps to make our environment healthier.

You didn’t know how important your sign would be, especially at that moment. It was like when you’re running a long race and you’re tired and are still quite a long way from the finish line and are part of the last group of runners, and then you spot a friendly group of people clapping for you and cheering you on. Looking at your sign last night was like seeing the clapping people. I’m so proud to see that you can create such a wonderful, thoughtful work on the spot with such great symbols.

It was a reminder to me, and to all who saw your sign why we must get to the finish line. We didn’t have any 6-year-olds like you at the meeting, but we are carrying your messages and that will move us on from being discouraged.

(Also, kudos to your teachers — I think we can see some awfully good work going on at your school as part of recognizing Earth Day.)

With all love,

Grandma

Fran Porter

Altamont