West Tisbury Town Column: Nov. 13

I remember what I was wearing 50 years ago. Unlike this year, with its balmy bright fall days, the season I recall was exceptionally chilly on the Vineyard and we were bundled up in woolly winter gear. My heavy coat was from L.L. Bean. It was a man’s navy blue pea jacket, double-breasted, with four big buttons. It was my husband’s old coat, and it was the only thing that wrapped all the way around my big belly. We were temporarily in Boston awaiting the birth of a child. The child took her sweet time but arrived on a raw and cold November day, so long ago. That was Chloe, who looked when she got here as exhausted as I felt. Chloe was born (taking her sweet time) with autism, but she now spends her weekdays in a happy place, the Island Autism Center, and she probably couldn’t be more content. For all of us, there is little that is more satisfying than having grown-up offspring who are content, if not jumping with joy.

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