I am very grateful to Abdi Nor Iftin for his/their informative, sensitive and compelling column “Through My Lens,” on the differences in experience between and among all American children, as well as the economic disparities that surround them, during this current holiday season (“Through My Lens: New Mainers can celebrate Halloween in their own way,” Oct. 29).

Halloween has always been a difficult holiday for me – hard to understand the attraction (even the candy) and the meaning (death, change). It was Abdi Nor Iftin’s column that made me once again realize how culturally insensitive I am, and we are, as the privileged, (mostly) white people who tend to run the show here. The economic impact/effect only underscored his message.

Thank you for both increasing my knowledge, the need for my increased sensitivity and yet another realization of how blind I can be to those living here, with me, in Maine. This essay has motivated me to increase my actions and reactions to the world around me.

Thank you, thank you.

Careyleah MacLeod, LCSW/LADC
Bristol