Greetings from River City.  Joe and I will celebrate our 63rd anniversary together on Sept. 17.  It doesn’t matter that Joe is in Heaven and I am in Newburgh.  His passing hasn’t broken the bond we’ve had since we met at the New York College of Music. 
Joe, just out of the Marines, went to school on the GI Bill, and met costs by giving driving lessons.  I worked my way by a variety of jobs (Auto Club, Macy’s, Garment Center office worker, hat check girl, artist model, court grunt for lawyers, Prexy’s counter girl—IBM cards were used to take orders for their small, distinct menu—famous for their “Hamburger with a College Education”. We indigent students got free meals, and on our birthdays, given a huge cake!)  Weren’t those the days, Joe! 
Happy anniversary, my dearest Knight in Black Chinos, my Sterling Character. 
 
Rosh Hashanah - Sept 19-20, a religious and festive time, a two-day Jewish celebration of the New Year; this year, it begins at sundown, Friday, Sept.18, and ends at sundown, Sunday, Sept. 20. It is a time of family and friends, of prayer and Torah readings, of introspection—reflecting on one’s past shortcomings and looking to improving the future, time spent in the Synagogue in special and holy prayer services and the soul awakening sounding the Shofar.  In this time of Coronavirus, you might want to check to see if your synagogue is livestreaming Rosh Hashanah services. 

There are ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, one of the most important Jewish holidays of the year (this year on Sept. 27 – 28).  The period is called the “Ten Days of Awe” also referred to as “Ten Days of Repentance”.  A heightened time of spiritual self-examination, prayer, charitable works, kindness, and seeking forgiveness and reconciliation.    
To all who are celebrating Rosh Hashanah, I send my hearty wishes for a most Happy New Year!  Shana Tova!

The City Council will conduct work sessions as part of the City’s annual budget approval process for fiscal year 2021.  
To view the livestream of the Virtual Budget Work Sessions on their scheduled dates go to https://www.cityofnewburgh-ny.gov/live-video-streaming.  To access the Virtual Budget Work Sessions remotely on their scheduled dates, join from a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, or Android device using the respective URL. 
 

From the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley: “This fall, as we enter the third season of our COVID-19 relief efforts, the need for our services remains as high as ever. Many people are still out of work or financially recovering from months of unemployment, parents are juggling virtual and in-person schooling for their children, seniors are still homebound.  The pace of our distribution shows no signs of slowing down and our other services are also at or near capacity.
If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, go to their website and click on “Find Food” to locate a nearby food pantry.  Food Bank of the Hudson Valley, 195 Hudson St., Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY 12520, (845) 534-5344.
 
 
Salvation Army: Back-to-school looks a lot different this year. Your donation will help us reach out to children and families suffering from the emotional and economic ripple effects of the pandemic.  Please help by giving a donation of any size.         
 
Johanna Porr Yaun shared a photo in Remembering Newburgh NY showing a man standing next to interesting and what probably were rather snazzy cars in their day, located in what looked like a garage with a brick interior with several tires hanging on the wall.  Compare the size of those tires (they look almost the thickness of bicycle tires) with those of today’s autos. I really do enjoy seeing these old photos.   
In responding to the photo, Tommy Boyle wrote, “A great time in history. Carriages were on the way out. Every town had carriage makers, and they began building automobiles! There were literally hundreds of car, truck, and tractor builders in the USA.”
It took Henry Ford’s assembly lines to cut costs and waiting times in half. During World Wars 1&2, everyone built Jeeps and anything else the military needed. Unable to keep up with demands, smaller companies folded leaving basically “The Big Three.”
 
FYI: 411 years ago on Sept. 12, 1609, Henry Hudson sailed into the River we love—the Good Old River—the Hudson. 
 
Pro-Life Mass and Rosary Procession:  The Mass will be held at Sacred Heart Church, 301 Ann St., on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 9 a.m.  Following the Mass will be a procession to Planned Parenthood.  All are welcomed to attend.

All generations of the grieving September 11, 2001 families, even the families of the misguided perpetrators are part of the ever-widening sorrow.  We see in those acts, the senselessness, the true cost of unbridled hatred on everyone in its path.   Hatred never, never, never brings good.  It is an evil that corrupts all that it touches; and left unchecked, finally destroys the hater and looks for another willing participant.
We are human beings with hearts and minds that can be made to go one way or another, however, it is ultimately up to each of us, which way we go. As always, I close with my prayers for God’s blessings on your heads my dears.