Something beyond the ordinary happened when my father died six years ago. At the time, I thought the incident to be of little interest or importance to all but a few close family members, and I have since described it only to two or three friends.

This year has brought a period of spiritual breakthrough for me, and as I think of the story now, it occurs to me that it might hold meaning for others.

We buried my father in southeast Raleigh on a lovely afternoon, just as the days were beginning to cool for autumn.

My children were 7 and 4 years old at the time. My sister’s three children were a little older, about 7, 9 and 11.

She brought five white balloons to the graveside, one for each grandchild, each one tied with a single white ribbon. At the end of the service, she gathered the children, gave them their balloons, and they released them together.

All of us silently watched them, carried away into a blue sky scattered with clouds. They drifted upward, toward the skyline before us, soon out of sight.

The next morning at home in Rougemont, my wife went out to the barn to feed and water the animals. On the way in, she saw a bit of trash out in the pasture. She walked through a couple of gates, picked it up and brought it inside to me. One white balloon, tied with a white ribbon.

Randy Hamilton

Rougemont

An invitation from the Arc

The Arc promotes and protects the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to and actively supports their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes. .

Please join us for The Arc of Durham County’s Annual Cookout this Saturday, July 21, at Northgate Park, 300 West Club Blvd., from 4 to 7 p.m.

Come out on Aug. 18 for an afternoon of fun, food and games at The Arc’s 2nd Annual Community Fair to be held at Northgate Park, 300 W. Club Blvd, from 4 to 7 p.m. There will be games, raffle drawings, information from local community organizations, health screenings, prizes, face painting, the “Spin Man”, a jump house and free food.

To RSVP or volunteer for either event please contact me at The Arc office at 919-493-8141 or send an email to tonyamerritt@frontier.com

Tonya Merritt

Community support specialist

The Arc of Durham County

Rampage and regulate

Yet again, the Bull City GovCo trying to find another china shop to rampage through and regulate, well, because they must be seen to “do” something. What would we do without food truck regulations? (N&O, July 10, bit.ly/Q2d0CU). You can bet at some point there will be a “privilege” tax associated with these food trucks as no transaction should occur with some more of your money finds its way to the Durham coffers. And of course the new food truck regulations will take police away from their real duties of protecting the rest of us from violent crime. So while the police are policing the food trucks some more likely than not will be getting robbed or worse.

Gordon Trenchard

Via newsobserver.com

Support the scene

I’m proud of all the food truck supporters who showed up July 9 to speak in support of our food scene (N&O, July 10, bit.ly/Q2d0CU). Between meetings with trucks and farmer’s market and the great showing tonight, I’m hopeful we can get these rules relaxed.

Susan Sewell

Via newsobserver.com

A powerful bite

To this very old reader, who has had some broad exposure and experience in management, it appears that a Hydrophis belcheri (a venomous sea snake) struck the power company and the good guy took the hit. There ought to be a thorough investigation by the regulatory authorities of the merger and the after-attack, and if there was indeed venom loosed on the employees and the public, the snake ought to be returned to the wild without a nibble.

Ross Pipes

Durham

Trade and migration

President Obama’s new policy to defer deportation for at least 800,000 young people brought to the country as children is a step in the right direction. The people who will benefit are young, promising, talented people, many of whom have contributed already and will continue to do so. However, this policy is not paired with any measures to address the root economic issues that push migrants to the U.S. in the first place.

Free trade policies have increased economic instability in many Latin American countries. On a recent trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, I learned that since the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994, the cost of the basic food basket in Mexico has risen 60 percent. U.S. subsidized agriculture enables American corn to be sold at prices 30 percent below Mexico’s cost of production. Mexican farmers cannot compete on a global level, contributing to poverty, unemployment and migration.

A victory has been achieved for young undocumented immigrants, but the larger struggle for global economic justice continues.

Emily Zucchino

Durham

Playoff will grow

The much-derided BSC system to determine a national collegiate football championship has now been replaced by a four-team playoff. If anyone thinks that it will remain limited to four teams, I would like to sell him some real estate on the moon.

Will the SEC, home to many formidable football factories – including Alabama and LSU that played in last season’s championship game – accept only one entry? Will the ACC, whose teams have fared poorly in postseason play recently, demand at least two entries? Will independent Notre Dame demand an entry because it is Notre Dame? What of the Big Ten, Big-12 and Pac-12?

Will the TV networks accept a four-team playoff when a 16-team system would bring in more revenues?

The basketball playoff started over 70 years ago with eight teams and now includes 68 teams, with many conferences having four or five entries. That looks like a blueprint for football.

Academics may complain that more games lead to less class time for players, but since when do they call the shots on sports?

Ole Holsti

Duke University

‘Patently unfair’

Jordan Lake provides drinking water to many thousands in the region. But Jordan Lake water quality is in danger from the high amount of pollution from construction, development, pesticides and fertilizers, oils and chemicals from pavement into storm water that ends up in Jordan lake.

Several years ago, all municipalities within the watershed studied the issue of storm water run-off and agreed to clean up their portion. All the cities affected have planned and worked to reduce their pollution into the lake except Greensboro. Greensboro was given a two year delay before and now has won another two-year delay.

This is patently unfair to those who consume the water from Jordan Lake and to the cities that have already done their share, and will only add to increased pollution in that is then harder and costlier to clean up.

State Sen. Ellie Kinnaird

The preceding came from the senator’s most recent online letter to constituents.