Thetford Village Store

01/30/2026

Friends and neighbors,

Today I’m sharing something bittersweet. I am officially leaving the Thetford Village Store and handing it over to the Thetford Center Community Trust. This place has been deeply special to me. I came here hoping to help bring the store back as a center for the town and to honor my late wife, but I learned that I couldn’t do it alone. Even so, the time I spent here has meant more to me than I can say.

The bell from the old brick church next door, the quiet company of the cemetery, the kindness of the neighbor beside me, and the steady support of this community filled the store with life. Within those walls of a building that has stood since the late 1800s, I was able to write, think, and imagine so many stories and poems — including my horror fictions The Bell at Thetford Center and What Only Sage Knew, inspired by the voices and characters I felt around the cemetery, the church, and the village store itself. The memories I carry from this place will last a lifetime.

Thank you all for your encouragement and support. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to complete the vision myself, but I am truly happy and excited to pass the store to the Thetford Center Community Trust. I know Dom, Tim, and Deecie will bring new energy and ideas and help restore the store as the heart of Thetford Center once again.

With all my best,
John

05/03/2025

A Note from the Keeper of Thetford Village Store, LLC

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I was surprised to learn—through a neighbor—that the U.S. Postal Service has relocated the Thetford Center Post Office from its current location at the Thetford Village Store to the Thetford Hill Post Office. I have not received any official communication from the Postmaster about this decision.

When I purchased the store, I committed to preserving this historic building and doing everything I could to keep it running. Since then, I’ve invested significantly in repairs and maintenance, including the roof, furnace, and electrical system. I’ve also been renovating the store and working hard to ensure it remains a vital part of our community.

The Post Office has long been an essential anchor for Thetford Center, and I’m deeply sorry to see it go. Once the school year ends, I plan to dedicate myself full-time to restoring the building and hope to reopen the store as soon as possible.

Thank you for your continued understanding, consideration, and support.

Warm regards,
John Sayarath
Keeper of Thetford Village Store, LLC

04/22/2025

A Message from Your Storekeeper at Thetford Village Store

Dear friends and neighbors,

I’m honored to share that my new book, The Bell at Thetford Center, will be coming out soon. It’s a haunting tale inspired by my upbringing in Southeast Asia, where ghost stories and ancestral spirits were a living part of our culture—told around fires, under moonlight, and always with reverence.

The story takes place right here in our village, at the Thetford Village Store, which sits quietly beside the old town cemetery and a vacant church. Though the pews are empty, the church bell still rings every hour. Some say the sound stirs more than just memories.

This book is my way of giving back to a place that means so much. All proceeds will go toward restoring the Thetford Village Store, LLC—so it can continue serving as a gathering place for all who call this beautiful town home.

Thank you for being part of this journey. May we keep our stories alive, and our community strong.

With gratitude and love,
B. John
Storekeeper
Thetford Village Store, LLC
Thetford Center, Vermont
USA

Happy Lao, Thai, and Cambodian New Year—and blessings on Pope Francis’s last Easter.

02/23/2025

I wrote this poem to honor a retired medical doctor and tennis partner—just minutes before discovering an opossum making himself at home in my sleeping bag on a poet’s bed inside my Thetford Village Store!

The Doctor’s Last Match

The doctor stood with weary hands,
On painted lines of sun-warmed sands.
His knees were weak, his breath was thin,
Yet still he swore he’d fight to win.

He eyed the court, his measured stage,
A battlefield despite his age.
His rival young, with legs still fast,
Yet skill, not strength, would hold him last.

A drop shot placed with patient grace,
The youth sped forth but lost the race.
The doctor stood, his heart at peace,
For time had not yet claimed his lease.

He’d held the scalpel, swayed the gavel,
Through years of toil, through dust and gravel.
But here, beneath the sky’s embrace,
He’d make his final, perfect case.

The last point struck—a whisper, light,
A stroke that faded into night.
No mournful cry, no sad refrain,
For he had played through joy, not pain.

And when they found his racket still,
His heart at rest, his soul fulfilled,
They knew he left without regret—
A match well played, a life well met.

B. John
Thetford Village Store
Thetford Center, Vermont
USA
Friday, February 22, 2025
@1530 (Just minutes before discovering an opossum living his best life in my sleeping bag—on a poet’s bed—inside my Thetford Village Store!)

02/07/2025

https://www.swellcast.com/t/O1Uc6y1RMiLS2ZK

Like the Bell

Like the bell that tolled for Merton,
calling him from city streets,
past the rush and flashing headlights,
past the wreckage he did not meet—
a voice unseen yet deeply known,
pulling him toward silence, stone,
toward words unspoken, yet to be.

So too the bells have called to me,
from Harvard’s tower, steady, bright,
where every hour’s measured chime
kept time with ink and midnight light.
From my small room on Irving Street,
they tolled their rhythm, soft, complete,
as if to say: Sit. Write. Believe.

And now, in Thetford’s quiet air,
where empty steeples still recall
the voices lost, the prayers once said,
the bell rings on—unchanged, yet all
its echoes find me where I stand,
amid these shelves, this life I mend,
to write, to hear, to understand.

It does not summon cloistered halls,
nor vows of silence, cloth, or stone,
but love and loss, the past, the now,
the whispered truths I call my own.
The bell rings peace, the bell rings fate,
the bell rings all I dare create,
and so I write—I will not wait.

B. John
Rocky Ridge Road
St. Johnsbury, Vermont
USA
Friday, February 7, 2025
@0405

This morning, I wrote a poem about the bells—those distant, steady chimes that have shaped the rhythm of my life, much like they did for Thomas Merton

01/01/2025

Happy New Year 🎈🎆 Everyone
From Thetford Village Store, LLC

12/25/2024

Merry Christmas 🎄🎁

12/23/2024

Congratulations to my daughter, Maya, on this incredible achievement! The American Board of Internal Medicine has officially certified her as a Diplomate in Internal Medicine.

Your mom and I are so happy and proud of you, Maya. Your hard work, dedication, and perseverance have brought you to this well-deserved milestone.

Keep shining and making a difference in the lives of others!

Love,
Dad
Thetford Village Store

11/28/2024

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! 🦃🍂 Wishing you all a joyful day filled with love, laughter, and great company. May you enjoy every moment with those you hold dear! 🧡

11/14/2024

Honoring Vicki Carol Godin Sayarath on Her Second Memorial Day
Today marks the second Memorial Day since the passing of my beloved wife, Vicki Carol Godin Sayarath (11/3/1961 – 11/14/2022). Her absence is felt every day, but her spirit, strength, and love continue to guide us.
Vicki was the greatest American novelist I have ever known. We met by chance in 1987, in Professor Sanford “Sandy” Kaye’s Expository Writing class at Harvard. From that moment, her words captivated me, and her stories continued to do so throughout our life together. Vicki wrote countless stories, each a reflection of her brilliant mind and boundless creativity. I am planning to compile and publish her work—a lasting tribute to her talent—once I get her cherished Thetford Village Store up and running.
A proud sixth-generation Vermonter, Vicki loved her home state more than anything. She grew up in Glover, Vermont, embracing its natural beauty and strong community spirit. Upon our return to Vermont to start our life together, she worked as a Registered Dietitian at the nursing home in Glover while also writing for local newspapers. She later held roles as Director of Special Services, Home Health, and ultimately Chief Executive Officer of the Orleans Essex Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice, dedicating herself to the wellbeing of her community. Following her tenure as CEO, Vicki continued her impact in healthcare and science as a research scientist at Dartmouth College’s Geisel School of Medicine.
Vicki’s love for sports was a defining part of her life. She especially enjoyed cross-country running, basketball, and field hockey, excelling in each. Her athletic achievements included becoming a state champion in Vermont in the 800 meters, a testament to her relentless spirit and drive to push boundaries.
In her professional life, Vicki was committed to uplifting others and advocating for social justice, environmental policy change, and community empowerment. Her dedication to diversity and equity was a calling she pursued with unwavering conviction.
In her personal life, Vicki was cherished for her sharp wit, kindness, and warmth. She found joy in the companionship of close family and friends, sharing her wisdom, humor, and creativity.
As we honor her today, we remember Vicki’s profound impact on the lives she touched and the legacy she leaves behind—a legacy I will carry forward with love and gratitude.
With all our love,
Her beloved husband and soulmate, John,
Daughters Maya and Melanie,
Her precious chocolate lab, Sadie,
Her brother, Vance,
And her parents, Reggie and Carol Godin.

11/03/2024

For Vicki, On What Would Have Been

In the quiet dawn, the village sleeps,
Two hundred years of whispered keeps.
But here I wake, alone once more,
In the heart of this old, creaking store.

You’d love this place, I feel it clear,
Where words like ours would linger near.
The birds are still, the town’s at rest,
Yet my heart pounds, an empty chest.

Sixty-three candles should glow bright,
Casting warmth in morning light.
Happy birthday, dearest soul,
Eternal love is still our whole.

B. John
Thetford Village Store
Thetford Center, Vermont
USA
Sunday, November 3, 2024
@0540