Janie Posted:

To be honest, Mrs. Sherwood, I have no friends. I was hoping one of your daughters might be my age and I’d could meet them and have someone to talk to.

Dear Janie,

I’m not sure how old you are, but both my daughters are in their mid-40s. I have a daughter of my own named Janie, and she’s 43 and works at the county clerk’s office here in our town. She doesn’t have any children, other than the one we don’t talk about too often. My elder daughter, Mary Pat, is a stay-at-home mother, for all the good that’s done. Her daughter, Jade, is quite wild and I would hesitate to recommend her as a role model or friend to any impressionable young person.

If you want to make new friends, though, I suggest that you join the youth group at your church. You’ll meet lots of fine young Christian children to share experiences with, and as summer is approaching, perhaps you’ll even get a chance to go on a charitable mission. Last year, our church’s youth group traveled down to Louisiana to help rebuild homes. They even worked on a house for a black family!

So if you don’t object to working for black people — some people do have a problem with that, you know — such an adventure could be just what you need to keep you out of trouble and away from drugs this year.

With all Christian love,

Mrs. Lucinda Sherwood