If Peter Pan had had a twin sister, she would have been like my late college roommate, Carol Ann Hough. Called “Huff” or “Huffy” by those who knew and loved her during our college days in the 1960s, she was free-spirited, adventurous, a fun-filled sprite. My fellow Glassboro State College friends and I dubbed her […]
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Posted inMeetinghouse, Opinion
Jenny McKendry, Hallowell: The family that Zooms together finds a lifeline
Our family didn’t discover that using Zoom to talk with each other was a good idea until quite recently. I can’t believe that the virus is still dominating our lives and that its influence has vastly changed us. Last spring we’d privately taken part in online business meetings, but as far as using this tool […]
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Dennise Dullea Whitley, Norway: The Maine places where my family stories come from
Daniel Francis Dullea came from Peabody, Massachusetts, to Norway, Maine, to live in 1900 and to work for the B.F. Spinney Co., a shoe manufacturing firm. The selectmen of Norway had pooled their own personal funds to construct a four-story factory building to specifically attract workers from that shoe factory in Peabody. Imagine that in […]
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Beatrice Talmage, Portland: Sweetly reunited with Dad
When my father came home on weekends, my younger brother and I darted to the door at the sound of his footsteps. That rattling of the door handle was, perhaps, the only force – besides a mother’s scolding – that could release our fingers from our Nintendo controllers. “Dad’s home!” we squealed. Excitement radiated from […]
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Annunziata Graziano, Readfield: Face to face with my guardian angel
Someone recently asked me if religion is a big part of my life. I tried to highlight all the ways I stay connected to my faith, but there are moments that are unexplainable even to me. I have trusted my life in God’s hands since the day I was born. My faith has faltered, and […]
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Buddy Doyle, Gardiner; A step into the past leads to a new life
In 1998 I turned 50. I was residing in California – keenly aware of (still) being very single, even though I’d certainly had my share of fun over the years. A classmate called regarding a multi-class reunion brewing in New Jersey. It was to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Morris Catholic High School, organized by […]
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Kay Wheeler, Raymond; Following the trail back to the beginning
Luckily for me, I was adopted at five years old. The thought of looking for my birth mother never occurred to me. My parents were financially stable, well educated and happily married. They instilled enough confidence in me that I knew who I was – I thought. In my 30s, my husband, an airline pilot, […]
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Brenda E. Smith, Belfast; Forced separation leads to sweet return
“Partition nearly ruined my life” accountant Iftakar Khan explained to me at breakfast, during a field visit to our USAID malaria control project in Pakistan. For centuries Hindus and Muslims coexisted in India constantly fighting over land and religion. In 1947 the British who colonized India decided to permanently fix the problem. An English cartographer […]
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Joe Beardsley, Poland: Every attic needs an ‘Oma’ to be its keeper
My wife has come to be called “Oma.” How so? It’s a short term for a grandmother. More on that some other day. My theme is suggested by a sign: “Oma’s … Attic.” Yes, it is an actual place not far from where we live in retirement. And indeed a powerful place-name, one I’ve been […]
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Jamie Cypher, Otisfield: Curiosity, courage and the mystery behind the door
My younger sister and I shared a bedroom in our childhood home. A door in the corner of our room opened to reveal a wooden pole for hanging clothes and, to the left, a flight of stairs leading up to the attic. Sometimes as I tried to fall asleep at night, that door would rattle […]