Somerville Heroes by Stephanie Hirsch

In a new monthly column, I will highlight Somerville’s local heroes who, in so many different ways, make our community better. They extend kindness, sit with a stranger, shovel out a neighbor’s car, or solve an extra challenging problem. They show up, do the work that needs doing, and stay until the job is done. They can be any age or any background, and they don’t need any special skillset.

Here are a few people I’d like to recognize for this month:

Carrier of Mail, Connections, and Good Will – Fernando Varela: A Spring Hill resident, Donene Williams, recently shared the news that her long-serving and beloved mail carrier retired. When Fernando Varela retired, he mailed a letter to each customer that read: “For most of my friends, April 27th was my last day delivering mail to your house. It was my retirement day. So, for a while, I have not seen my good friends. I really miss you all. Not seeing you on a daily basis is one of the changes in my life.  I am just wondering how many of you are saying, ‘Fernando forgot all about us.’ Believe me, for many reasons, I cannot forget any of you. I cannot forget that through the years that I delivered mail to you, when I was thirsty, always someone got me a cold drink. When I was exhausted or maybe upset with some aspect of my job, someone encouraged me with a friendly conversation or said thank you for your service. It is my honor to say some of you made me feel exceptional by giving special greetings. My friends, you are always in my heart. Thank you for your kindness.”

Retired Somerville mail carrier Fernando Varela.

Fernando said that he delivered mail for 16 years in the Spring Hill neighborhood – including Porter, Linden, and Cedar – and was happy to serve a neighborhood he cared about. Donene said that one of the best gifts that Fernando brought their neighborhood was helping neighbors connect with one another. All of the neighbors had their own connection with Fernando in common, and that made it easier for them to connect with one another. “He was a community builder just by being kind and working hard,” Donene said. Fernando immigrated to the United States from Cape Verde many years ago, and he recently traveled to Portugal to celebrate his retirement. We wish you much joy and many blessings in your retirement, Fernando, and deep gratitude for your service!

When one person heard this story about Fernando, she had this reflection: “As I read Fernando’s message, I first thought, ‘I would like to live in that Somerville neighborhood!’ Then, I realized that each of us can make our neighborhood like Fernando’s, by treating our neighbors and the people who are a part of our daily lives with the caring and kindness we share with one another.” Very true –we can be the bridge-builders and problem solvers ourselves, and we can also celebrate others who contribute.

New Post-Halloween Tradition: We just passed the Thanksgiving holiday, but I’m going to look back again to earlier this month. A few days after Halloween, a group of kids I know started a new tradition. They had visited all their neighbors on Halloween to collect to candy. Then a few days later, they decided to crush the candy and mix it into to chocolate-chip-plus-candy cookies. They delivered the Halloween cookies to those same neighbors. I hope this new tradition of giving catches on.

Check back next month for more community heroes and champions of all different types and gifts … maybe even someone on your block! Do you have someone you think should be featured? Contact me at stephanie@stephanieforsomerville.org. (And you can sign up for my monthly newsletter here: https://tinyurl.com/StephanieHirschBOAUpdates)

And in the meantime, let’s let the spirit of community draw us closer together, and make us slower to aggravate and ready for a cup of coffee with a friend or stranger.