The people of Lincoln County live out the adage about Christmas: “It is better to give than to receive.”

Practicing primary care medicine means having the privilege every day to hear the private, complicated reality of people’s lives. It is being a part of the humanity we all share that is not on display, not apparent, or often not ever guessed at. It is the life stories of chronic illness, grief, loss, regret, shame, self-doubt, anger. It is the physical pain, emotional pain, and isolation of medical problems, curable and incurable. These are life stories that all of us share, to a greater or lesser extent, in different ways and with different outcomes.

We applaud the students of the Lincoln Academy Climate Action Club for their engagement with local government in the form of the Newcastle Board of Selectmen. We will applaud these students even more if, rather than pursue passage of a doomsday declaration with no specific policy proposals, they continue to engage with town officials to pursue practical action on climate change.

One of the great things about this time of year is looking forward to Thanksgiving. The turkey, the family moments, and reminding Massachusetts what Mainers have done for them.

We welcome a new columnist this week, Kate Kastelein, who will contribute humorous “Dispatches From Damariscotta” once a month.