To the editor:
Last week in the paper there were two letters to the editor from writers who live in Oakfield. They both talked about giving and community service. This is typical of that wonderful community.
As a child growing up on the hill in Oakfield, I was fortunate to live in a community that cared about its children. All of the adult members of the neighborhood knew our names and who our parents were. We grew up mostly behaving ourselves because if we didn’t, our folks would get a call from another parent or caring adult describing our misdeeds. Parents were expected to remedy the situation, and they did. My mother would often return the favor. (My father, not so much).
This allowed us to grow up in a neighborhood free of fear because we were always protected. It is interesting to note that this practice continued into my late teens when calls may have become more frequent.
Fast forwarding 40 years into my future, a few years ago, I was again reminded of the sense of caring that runs through that community. My parents were coming to the end of their ability to live independently in their home. The caring help, and forgiveness, that was extended to them during that time by the community has never been forgotten by me.
I started receiving phone calls myself from caring townspeople describing their actions, even though I live three hours away. These people rightly felt that I needed to know what was going on so I could protect them. They also expected my sisters and me to remedy the situation and take care of them. Which we did to the best of our ability.
Although I have not lived in Oakfield for 35 years, I still proudly call it my hometown. For those of you living there, remember how fortunate you are to reside in a community so filled with such caring people.
Doug Larlee
Norridgewock
