sunny days are here again

one of my favorite parts of the newspaper are the letters to the editor. i skip the sports section completely, and give only a passing glance at the obituaries and comics, but i always make sure to turn to the end of section A and spend some time reading those letters. i learn a lot by reading them -- how there are almost always two sides to every story; how an article that i barely skimmed can so personally affect someone else; and how many people really never did master sixth grade grammar. (you can blame my mother for that one.) but as much as i enjoy reading them, i have to admit that i've never expected the letters to the editor to effect real change. it's always been my belief that they're mainly just a convenient way for people to blow off steam -- they want to complain, they want to rant about something that's been done or not been done, and that's their place to do it. even when i wrote the editors regarding my unhappiness with the changes in the weather page, i didn't honestly think anything would come of it. i just wanted my voice (well -- my son's voice) heard. knowing how strapped the paper is financially, i never in a million years thought they would return the weather page to its former glory, with its large maps and columns of data that soak up space that could otherwise be used by paying advertisers. so you could've knocked me over with a feather the morning that i opened the paper to read a letter of apology from the editors to the hundreds of faithful readers who had joined me in complaining about the changes. not only parents, like myself, but also fishermen, statisticians, travelers, hunters, immigrants ... the arguments made were heartfelt, and, more importantly, valid. and for once, the editors read all the letters that flooded their inboxes, realized their error, and righted their wrong. i wish i could expound at this point about how this has been such a valuable lesson to liam: that voicing your opinion does make a difference; that, by sharing your thoughts on a matter with a convincing argument, you can often help others see your point-of-view. but, really, it was over his head. he was just happy to be have things back the way they ought to be, poring over the list of world cities' high temperatures as he ate his breakfast. so the lesson turns out to be one for me. and it's one i now remember each morning as i read the letters to the editor. it's not just that people want to blow off steam; it's often that they are really hoping that they can change things. and no matter what those things might be -- whether it's health care reform, or the size of the weather map -- we are fortunate to live in a country where we can.