The holiday season is here again, sneaking up on many of us last-minute gift finders. The change of weather, shortening of days, and fast pace many experience this time of year seem to culminate in a need to reflect and refresh. It seems impossible that we find ourselves with only one edition of the paper left for 2022.
There is much going on in the county this week, including a wide range of topics. There are some messages of hope, remembrance, service, concern, and good will.
The holiday season is special, and this county is lucky to have so many organizations trying to pull people together and unite the community. Some of what makes this community special can be found in the reasons why the Hagens moved to this area for this week’s character piece.
We could also look at the groups who helped remember our local veterans buried at Hillside Cemetery in Damariscotta by participating in Wreaths Across America. In another example look to the large crowd of people who participated in a wetdown ceremony for Bremen’s new fire truck, which was dedicated to their late chief, Donald Leeman Jr.
There has also been some adversity that we have faced this week as a community, coming to a head at a school committee meeting at Great Salt Bay Community School. Social media is being used to fan the flames of divisiveness, before any details can come to light.
As the other examples above illustrate, we are better than this. We should be able to trust our local public officials and trust the processes put in place to hold them accountable if they err. This does require elected officials and boards to share what information they legally can in order to earn and keep the public’s trust. This takes time and some patience is required.
As we enjoy the holidays, hopefully reunite with family and friends, let us remember that the community we have is stronger with support. Spread good will and volunteer to make the area organizations stronger.
From all of us at The Lincoln County News, we wish you and yours a Merry Christmas.
