The State of Maine.

Maine may be geographically large, but it has the feel of a small town whose residents collectively admire, appreciate and respect it. 

Sure, winter can get cold, but that’s part and parcel of the deal.  You pull on gloves, don a parka and take to the slopes.  Or go on a brisk walk.  Come back to a warm house, shed your stuff and sip a hot toddy.  What could be better?

Spring brings melting ice and a hint of warmer weather.  Summer brings breathtaking flowers. And, fall…..well, Maine’s fall colors are like no other.

We have family in Maine.  We understand, intellectually if not viscerally, their sense of being part of a whole.  If you don’t like what Maine has to offer, you leave.  But for those who stay, for the “Mainers”, it’s a wonderful way of life.

This week’s mass murder shook them all to their core. 

They’re not accustomed to multiple sirens blaring in the night.  Of lockdowns.  Of helicopters flying low and overhead.   Of the fear, as one family member put it, not unlike that of 9/11.  They shouldn’t have to experience that.

And neither should we.  When are we going to act?

Photo Courtesy of Tim Crockett