10/08/2026
The Maine Mountain Children’s House is a big marker of time for me. We’ve been selling sammies at this sweet community event and fundraiser for the school since this business was brand new. I stood behind my sammie cart when my son Woody was a plump little two year old and had just started at Mmch, my little covid baby, leaving the nest after two long years of direct eye contact.
Then was the year he was brave enough to go on the carriage ride, and did a full on dance performance in front of the band. Then the year I was pregnant with my daughter Franny, chatting with the other families about birth and fear and gardening and such. Then, Franny was here, and it was another September harvest fest, but this time with a babe in my arms again. This year our family is back at MMCH and Franny is experiencing the magic of the homiest little school in Maine.
It is magic, isn’t it? That we can trust each other this much. That there are places we feel comfortable leaving our children, and not just comfortable, but grateful. Let’s protect places like this at all costs. They are the soft part that holds community in its place. This year Woody ran around by himself and didn’t need me for anything but snacks. Time marches on, but thank god some things stay the same.
