A short summary of In the Shade of a Year's Past.
In the dedication of the book, a young lady named Sandra is mentioned. Her dad's name was Al. He and my father were good friends from WWII days. They grew up together in Hoboken, New Jersey. That's where I grew up. Well, when the war was over, Al and my dad, Nick, came back to Hoboken and restarted their lives. Al married Ester, and my dad married Jennie. Sandy was Al and Ester's first daughter, and I, Marin, was Nick and Jennie's first son, so Sandy and I grew up together. We were like brother and sister. I was a Marley little fat kid, and she was a gorgeous little blonde. Kids in the neighborhood would pick on me, and Sandy would kick their butts. She would say, "You better leave my little brother alone or I'll kick your ass. Got that, moron!"
So this whole book is dedicated to Sandy. And in every poem, you can see a bit of Sandy and Marin in between the lines. The loss of Sandy in my life kept me gowning to where I am today--married for forty-eight years with three beautiful children. Not one regret, mind you! Not one! Well, maybe just one. Read the last sentence in my dedication.