When I saw Bill today, the first thing he said to me was that I had to see the rainbow scarf he had just received in the mail.

Bill was happier than I’ve ever seen him today. He was eager to show me a Gay Pride scarf Donna send him from Kentucky: “Bill, a lot of people are wishing you well and are willing to help, Just ask!” I read him the message and he loved the scarf, he can’t wait for winter.

Bill can’t ask for help right now, he is working to be able to read, write and focus. He regrets that he can’t answer the messages he is  getting, I keep telling him his smile is thanks enough. This week he has gotten letters, cakes, cupcakes, some postcards that made him very happy, it was powerful to see the effect this emerging sense of community is having on him.

He is not, in fact, as alone as he thought he was, as isolated as he feared he was. Our challenging new technology, at turns a nightmare and a miracle, works magically here, the blog posts about him have been widely and quickly shared and people are rushing to help. He may have lost his community after his illness, but his community does not seem to have lost him.

I see that the gay community – I know they have their own troubles and conflicts –  is a loving and intensely supportive community, they care deeply for one another and are generous with their time and skills. I see why Bill misses them so much and why being gay means so much to him.

He is so much less depressed and despairing than he has been. The letters matter, so do the cards and gifts, and he loves postcards. This week he got cakes and cupcakes and a stack of mail.

I was very  touched by a letter from George in Los Angeles, he is an author who came through Cambridge once to research the life of an actor named William McCauley and probably came to Hubbard Hall, our refurbished Opera House, a treasure in our community, most of the old vaudeville house burned or were turn down.

“I visited Cambridge a couple of years ago, ” wrote George. “A beautiful town. I got a tour of the old Opera House and tried to imagine what the world of the theater would have been like back then, back in the day when William McCauley was touring, traveling the country by train, every night a different town, a different opera house, a different theater. It must have been quite a life. I’m sure you have wonderful stories and memories of your acting days too. Best wishes to you,  Bill.”

Bill is getting a lot of mail, I especially love George’s letter, it was warm and interesting and yet so very and subtly supportive. The perfect tone.  I loved reading it to Bill, he was mesmerized by it. It reinforced the idea that Bill can be part of his community again, even if in a different and limited way.

I see the sensitivity to isolation in the letters, the are the perfect medicine for Bill as he struggles to get his bearing after a tough stroke last  year. He is 82 years old.

At this point, Bill can’t read, see clearly, write or socialize easily. In a couple of weeks, he is getting surgery on his eyes. He has a long way to go and he knows it, but his community is giving him reason to hope and to smile.

If you wish to contact Bill or write him letters, we will make sure they are read to him.  For now, he can’t respond to them.  His address is Bill, c/o The Mansion, 11 S. Union Avenue, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.