Letters: A celebration of life, in respect

This letter is directed to Jim Glynn regarding his recent article titled, “Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.”

Dear Jim,

After reading your article, it was quickly apparent that I needed to apologize to you. It was never my intent to offend you by putting your name on American Cancer Society Relay For Life luminaria bags. I would like to explain why I did that.

Many years ago, I attended my first Relay For Life event in Madera and learned about the luminarias. The “In Honor Of” bags are to celebrate cancer survivors. The “In Memory Of” bags are to pay tribute to those who have passed. I happily made the $10 donation per bag to celebrate and pay tribute to everyone I knew who had been victims of cancer. It has been an annual tradition for me to do that. Sadly, my lists have grown over the years. But, I celebrate that my, “In Honor Of” list is still longer than my, “In Memory Of” list.

My intent in putting your name on “In Honor Of” luminaria bags was to celebrate your life. If you would like me to stop doing that, I will honor your wishes. I wish you well,

— Janice Lowder,

Madera