All of your messages have been very special, and I will treasure each one of them because they are the first ones to appear on this site. Thank you for taking the time to send good wishes and to stay in touch with me. It has been very gratifiying to see notes from  my friends in different parts of the United States and from Israel and Lithuania as well.

Special thanks to all the students who let me know their thoughts after reading “Izzy’s Fire.” Your comments are important to me and were inspiring, and your questions were thoughtful. I shall remember them as I go forward with my research.  Becky Quesenberrry, the teacher who launched the study in the seventh grade of Elizabeth B. Davis Middle School in Chester, Virginia, also orchestrated three field trips so that all 450 students could visit the Virginia Holocaust Museum after studying the book.  After 41 years of teaching, Becky will retire this month. She has honored me by choosing to introduce “Izzy’s Fire” to so many young adults. I want to thank her agian and wish her good luck as she begins this new phase of her life.

Speaking of new phases, I have begun a new venture in my life as well. Today, June 13, I took my first class in what will be an eight-week course in  Beginner’s Lithuanian.  It seemed fitting, since I launched the blog on June 13 to post exactly one month later. Maybe by August 13, I will be able to speak elementary Lithuanian. I hope to return to that country one day and knowing the language will be most helpful. I may try some of my new skills from time to time. In fact, I’ll try it right now, as I have at least two hours of study before class tomorrow. I will say “Labas vakaras,” which means “Good night.”