Few stories I read will touch me like those dealing with children or the elderly.

When I hear people complain about the “things” they don’t have or the raise which wasn’t quite as large as they had hoped, (so in many cases they can go buy more things), it serves as a reminder that getting caught up in the trappings of possessions or money is not necessarily the way to live this life we have been given.

Sure, we all want to live comfortably and provide for our families but what happens when you grow to old to do so?

Some would say, you should have prepared for retirement in your younger days…okay, in today’s world with 401K’s and private retirement plans it has become easier to save, but how about those who never had the luxury of such things? What about those who are disabled or worked in professions which provided enough to simply “live” and nothing more?

Such are the lives of these folks. Funny, I’ve never met them, but I would like too..they show such pride and grace in the face of adversity.

They have worked since their teens in backbreaking seasonal jobs, extracting resources from the sea and the forest. Their yards are filled with peeling boats and broken lobster traps.

In sagging wood homes and aged trailers scattered across Washington County, many of Maine’s poorest and oldest shiver too much in the winter, eat far more biscuits and beans than meat and cannot afford the weekly bingo game at the V.F.W. hall.

In this long-depressed “down east” region, where the wild blueberry patches have turned a brilliant crimson, thousands of elderly residents live on crushingly meager incomes. This winter promises to be especially chilling, with fuel oil prices rising and fuel assistance expected to decline. But many assume that others are worse off than themselves and are too proud to ask for assistance, according to groups that run meal programs and provide aid for heating and weatherizing.

Certainly, this is not a situation unique to these seniors. Maine does not hold the monopoly on poverty. The location should matter not.

I am not advocating that those who are “rich” in this country should be forced to share their wealth with those less fortunate. As a matter of fact, many of these same people would be too proud to accept what they would consider charity.

What I do say, is that instead of throwing money out the window on senseless earmarks, those in Washington could spend a little (of our money) on those who have worked to make this country what it is today. Rather than millions spent on elections, how about insuring no one will be cold this winter?

Having worked with individuals at both “ends” of this thing we call life, I can say there has been little in my life more rewarding. There is both an innocence and a wealth of knowledge to be gained from the honesty of a child and the wisdom of an elder.

It is a tragedy that in the United States one should go hungry or freeze to death in the winter. Somewhere, our priorities were misplaced. Maybe one day we’ll find them again and as for me, I hope it’s soon.

Written by Sue

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