A higher power?

Oh my goodness, there is a spring God! The temperature was more than 50 degrees Monday and our cats are happier than I am. Our little cove area is now open water and soon we will be able to find all the treasures that floated down the lake (under the ice) from Harrison and Bridgton over the winter.

Usually it is pieces of docks, water toys, beer cans or buoys, but once we actually found a brand new outboard motor. I suspect it was “hot” and was probably dropped by the perpetrators trying to outrun the law, so we never actually got to claim it or use it.

The walkers were out in full force on the causeway Monday. There were so many people out and walking that I started to wonder where they were coming from. I was thinking that they were out of town people, but on closer inspection they were people I recognized, just without the layers.

Give us a warm spring day and everyone seems to remember where they stored their tennis shoes and perhaps for a few precious moments forget the ugliness that can be our Lakes Region winters. Do not quote me, but I see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Congratulations Amanda

I am very proud to report that our own Roland and Florence Mayberry have some fabulous news to share. Their wonderful granddaughter, Amanda Mayberry, was named to the dean’s list for the fall 2007 semester at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, N.H.

Amanda is majoring in business/ event management with a minor in marketing. She plans to be an even coordinator specializing in wedding planning. She is the daughter of Tom and Mary Mayberry of Naples; the granddaughter of Roland and Florence Mayberry of Naples, and Fred and Carol Henderson of Greenwood and Bettie Osnoe of West Paris.

Ready to relay

When my son was 16 years old, he was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia. When Heather and Phil Hanson’s daughter, Shannon was diagnosed with leukemia, she was less than 2 years old. She had no voice, but her parents made sure they spoke for her.

Since Shannon’s remission, Phil and Heather have worked diligently to make sure that parents of all children diagnosed with the many various forms of leukemia have hope for treatment and hopefully a cure for this disease. They, along with the entire Coldwell Banker Lakes Region Properties office, work every year on the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.

The Relay for Life is held at the Oxford Hills High School track and all participants pitch tents and create a theme around their little village. Basically, each team walks from 6 p.m. on Friday until noon on Saturday.

I cannot express what a feeling of contribution and inner strength you get from walking around this track with the luminary candle bags (for all of the cancer survivors or in memory of a loved one no longer with us) at 3 a.m. That is usually the time my husband and I pick to walk because the candles are still glowing and the sun is just beginning to rise.

This year’s walk begins May 30. If you would like to make a difference for your family loved one or civic organization, please contact Heather Hanson at 693-7000. I promise that you will walk away feeling so much better. I forgot to add that my son is now 32 years old and has been cancer free for just shy of 16 years, thanks to so many people back then who cared.

No fixed heritage

I am sure that you are all tired of the bridge debacle, but as I read some letters to the editor in local papers I am mystified. Where is the concern for our history? The biggest problem that people repeat is the traffic tie-ups. When you live here or even visit here in the summer, hopefully, like all of us who have lived here or vacationed here for years, you time your life “around the bridge” between May and October.

It has been that way since I came here in summers when I was 6 years old and am proud to say that it still remains an icon that I respect and admire. Frankly, this is part of our heritage and although I am somewhat disappointed in the letters I have read I also understand “both sides of the bridge.”

After Monday’s Selectboard meeting, this issue will be going to referendum on the May 20 vote, so please consider where you really stand. A helpful choice may include going to the Naples Historical Society Web site, which can be accessed through the town Web site. You may be surprised at what you find.

Upcoming and ongoing

Please do not forget the Friday morning Grange breakfasts at the Naples Town Hall staring at 8:30 a.m. Please bring a board game, deck of cards or just plan to drink that extra cup of coffee and spend some time getting to know your neighbors better.

The Greater Bridgton Lakes Region Chamber Of Commerce Lakes Business Showcase is Saturday April 12 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Located at Lake Region High School and open to the public, the showcase attempts to share with you all that is good about the Lakes Region.

The Naples Lions Club will be on hand to serve food; this event is free to attend and includes many free items to you including door prizes and raffles. You can carry all that free stuff around in a gift bag donated for this event by Bridgton Hospital. There is a discovery toy zone available for your children to play in while you wander.

As always, have a great week and let me know if you have information to share.