Tom Heffernan, another kind of activist

It’s not an exaggeration when I say Tom altered my life--not just because he made me laugh all the time, or taught me a deeper appreciation of the natural world, or that he showed me fresh ways of seeing and thinking, taught me to partner dance well, or showed me the marshes (and those pickle weeds). He also gave me two huge gifts by empowering me to find both my father and my lost friend from college days.

Soon after I met Tom, I told him the story of my biological father who lived in Holland and who had become separated from my mother and me long ago by the war and divorce. I had no idea whether he was alive or dead . Tom was flabbergasted that I hadn’t tried to find him and began kicking my butt about it. Finally, I talked to my mom, who talked to a friend in Holland, who did locate my father whom eventually I met! I visited him twice more with my daughter. We are his only progeny. A whole long story .

Just asTom is the motivator in that major event, so's he the hero of locating my friend Jeannie. At that point I hadn’t heard from her in the 13 years since she’d left Sonoma for points unknown. She was to write me when she found a place to settle and never did. So Tom the activist marched me to the library. I knew her parents lived in the San Diego area so we pulled all the phone books from there, found dozens of addresses for that last name and I wrote postcards to them all. Two letters came back, one of many pages saying she was not the person I was looking for and then telling me all about her family. The other was from Jeannie’s mom. We reunited not long after and have since evolved into virtual sisters. A whole long story.

Thanks to Tom, my world is much broader and more connected. Tom, a story not long enough.