It saddens me greatly to report that Janet Elwin’s magnificent quilts have been removed from the Miles Hospital Gallery due to circumstances beyond our control.

Words cannot express the amount of love and support we have received from our friends and neighbors in Whitefield and beyond.

Others have testified to Frank Avantaggio’s contributions to the community and the hospital, and they were immense; and to his surgical skills, which were formidable.

Recent transplants to the Damariscotta area may best know Dr. Avantaggio, if at all, as the kindly old man who tended Skidompha’s Secondhand Book Shop in recent years. By then, Dr. Avantaggio was long established as a pillar of the community.

Reading the paper is often difficult, but researching stories worldwide can bring tears of sorrow and a lack of understanding why treatment of the poor and homeless seems so cruel and unkind.

This is from a recent NBCnews.com article: “Pope Francis suggested there are limits to freedom of expression, saying in response to the Charlie Hebdo terror attack that ‘one cannot make fun of faith’ and that anyone who throws insults can expect a ‘punch.’

For those of us from away who have chosen to make our home here, there is a process that happens over a period of years that transforms the community from a new home to a home to just home.

The recent accident in Edgecomb where the vehicle involved was taking a left-hand turn into the pottery business was upsetting to me. As a longtime instructor, now retired, for the AARP Driver Safety program, we always suggest avoiding left turns if at all possible.

The holidays have come and gone and the people of Waldoboro have been amazing once again. As always, I feel very privileged to be part of such a wonderful and generous event. This year’s Waldoboro Toy Program went very well, with a lot of help from a lot of you.

The letter from Susan van Alsenoy (“Rightfully protesting,” Dec. 11) regarding the protests and her suggestion that the “decisions” from grand juries have permitted police officers to kill black men with impunity, surprised me.

The other day my friend and I were discussing what was happening in the world of inequality.

I am working on my family genealogy and would like to know if anyone has information on Lucy E. Rumrill: born December 1843; married Uriah Lowell, March 19, 1861; died June 19, 1871. She is buried in the Foye Cemetery in Wiscasset. Any information on the Rumrill or Lowell families would be appreciated.

Some things in life transcend dollars and cents. The feeling of home is one such thing. A home is more than lumber, plumbing, and assorted nests of wires – it’s a personal expression of our intimate feelings.

People like to complain about the media and we understand that. Given the state of our industry these days, it’s too easy to do. (Looking at you, MSNBC, Fox News, et al.)