We have all heard the adage, “No matter how much you have, someone always has more.” However, we sometimes fail to realize the opposite is also true. No matter how much – or little – you have, someone always has less. The Forecaster recently reported “Tree shortage leaves some nonprofits out on a limb.” While […]
Forecaster opinion
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: True generosity sometimes looks a little different
The temperatures have dropped, we’ve seen our first (admittedly brief) snow flurries, and Thanksgiving is behind us. It’s official, We are now well within the designated holiday season. Thanks to Charles Dickens and his brilliant wordsmithing, we will all have the chance to delight once again in the lessons of human kindness and charity. Much […]
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Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Life Unwound: Gratitude lists grow habit of giving to others
A few weeks before Thanksgiving, I watched 8-year-old and 7-year-old sisters arrive late to breakfast because they had stayed in their beds to start their Christmas lists. On plain white sheets of paper, they scrawled “a new soccer ball, another stuffed animal, pink snow pants.” They showed the lists to their mom, who smiled and […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Brunswick Superintendent’s Notebook: Student council fosters youth leadership
The Brunswick School Department this year re-established the Superintendent’s Student Leadership Advisory Council. Comprising 12-15 students in grades 9-12 at Brunswick High School, the council gives students the opportunity to interact with school district leadership, including the superintendent, building administration, and central office administration. Perhaps most important, the leadership gets to hear directly from students. […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Through My Lens: A happy ending to 2022 for Maine’s immigrants
A Somali proverb goes, “Be a mountain or lean on one.” This is what was ringing in my mind as text messages came in after the midterm elections. People felt inspired and both those we have elected and those of us who elected feel proud and partnered in the joys and hopes of others. No […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: What do we owe each other in a community?
For those of you reading this column for the first time, or for those who simply missed last week, my apologies. Like that awkward moment at a party, you’re about to join a conversation already underway: that of the deeply ingrained ideas of Rights and Responsibilities, with a heavy emphasis on the first half. This […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Life Unwound: Opinions and preferences change, so can judgments
I’m thinking about autumn. I’m thinking about how the leaves paint and brighten the sky, how foliage rainbows reign everywhere, in the azure blue above, in the yellows and oranges, in the burning-bush reds, and how, as poet Mary Oliver wrote, “Look, the trees are turning their own bodies into pillars of light, are giving […]
Posted inForecaster Opinion
Portland Superintendent’s Notebook: The Portland schools want you to work for them
The iconic poster in which Uncle Sam urges service to our country by pointing a finger and saying, “I want YOU,” is familiar to most Americans. In this column, I want to borrow Uncle Sam’s words and say “The Portland schools want YOU – as substitutes, volunteers and regular employees including educational technicians, teachers and […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: Rights get all the attention, but what about responsibilities?
We are a nation that revolves around “rights.” Which makes sense. Our government was literally founded in opposition to a monarchy. The founders of this system took up arms and fought a bloody, long, and daunting war in order to be done with authoritarian rule. It is hardly surprising then that the language of the […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Through My Lens: More bombs in Mogadishu, more resilience
My least favorite words in the Somali language are “deg deg.” They mean “breaking news.” Anytime I see this, I worry for my family and old friends. The words made their way to me Oct. 29, another dark day for the people of Mogadishu as twin bombings killed over 100, including a friend. I called […]