By Ray Cardello for August 31, 2025, Season 32 / Post 32

Please allow me a personal note on this Sunday of Labor Day Weekend.

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. It was the very unique Summer of ’25. Summer for us is the magical time between turning off the bus on the last day of school and hearing the familiar sounds of kids on their first day of school. It is the ten weeks we spend at our “Special Place” on the pond in Central Maine. It is when we reunite with our Pond People Friends for days of fun, friendship, new adventures, and old watering holes. It is evenings under the Gazebo or lazy rides on the pontoon boat, listening to our favorite tunes and sharing stories and laughs. That is what we looked forward to, but this Summer was quite different as a new ingredient entered the mix: cancer, and sadly, it changed everything.

Instead of nightly boat rides on the pond, we had daily 100-mile rides up and down Route 95 for Radiation treatments or Chemo treatments, or on a special day, both. My afternoon bourbon was replaced with Miracle Mouthwash, which numbed my esophagus, allowing me to swallow without choking or pain. Our wonderful potluck meals were replaced with constant nausea and chest pain. A good night’s sleep was impossible, so I learned to enjoy the dark and stillness of the night.

Cancer presented its share of challenges, but also brought out the absolute best in our circle of friends. We already knew we were blessed with the most incredible friends imaginable with our Pond People, but the way they rallied to help and support Shay and me raised them to a whole new level. The help with driving and cooking up special dinners for us was appreciated, but the calls, pop-ins, check-ins, and just quiet visits were special times we will remember forever. Our get-togethers under the Gazebo or at a restaurant became celebrations of life. The most memorable event was when our Imerman Angels, Dave and Kathy, came out from Illinois to meet our Pond Angels of Maine. We were a group of 26, all sitting at one long table to enjoy excellent food, great conversation, prayer, hugs, laughter, and yes, tears. It was a magical night, but that is commonplace on the pond. It is what makes it our special place.

The Summer is coming to a close. We will return to New Hampshire and our weekend trips back to Maine. The Pond People will go in different directions, but we are connected by an invisible bond that has no bounds. My cancer put a damper on the Summer of ’25, but our group of friends made sure it was still a Summer of good memories and hope that none of us will have challenges to tackle in ’26. Friendship, love, and prayer are powerful elements that can change anything, and this group has an abundance. I have no doubt next year will be back to normal, and utl then, has anyone seen where I put the keys to my big yellow bus?