"Welcome to Maine" signs often include the phrase "The Way Life Should Be." Maine, in its untainted simplicity, is one of our favorite places. But we don't just like it for its wildlife, ocean, mountains, and serene landscapes. Yes, we love the smell of woodsmoke wafting from many chimneys, the rough and rugged way of life, and the unexpected snow flurries we saw a few days ago. Here, "lobster" is pronounced "lobstah" and that won't change anytime soon. Part of the charm of the state is the accents not found anywhere else in the world.
But much more attractive to us are the churches, the fresh and sincere excitement the people have about living for God. We also like Mainers in general. They are tell-it-like-it-is kind of folk. As Sam, an 83-year-old man in the Morrill church said, "If I wouldn't have liked your sermon, I would have told you." To some, that attitude seems affrontive, even disrespectful, but they don't mean disrespect; they're just being open and honest. And we like that.
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