Dear editor:
"The story is in the telling" as they say and Melinda Gassaway certainly knows how to tell a story. A life's event becomes an adventure under her pen with the Wednesday, Oct. 24 "A Cautionary Tale" column. Gassaway's knowledge and usage of descriptive words is her key to unlock the possibilities of an engaging story. Words such as admonitions, lexicon, perambulate, errantly, projected escapade, testament, abrasions, apropos, disconcerting, compatriots, masterful, occurrence and downer. She writes about having a fall on a Saturday with these words, "My Saturday Night 'live' performance would have been much more disconcerting had it not been for my compatriots." Clever wording for sure. Made me smile. Also using compatriot instead of friends and disconcerting instead of upsetting was a window into a moment of concern for her safety by distracting the reader from the seriousness of the incident to focusing on the successful outcome.
I'm grateful that in her retirement that she finds time on occasion to amuse and entertain your readers with her wit and mastery of the English language.
Shirley Chauvin
Hot Springs Fan
Editorial on 11/04/2018