Dear Editor:

We live in a world where December heralds in a season of waiting. For 11 months, the state of Maine roads wind through rural counties unlit for drivers or homeowners. So the darkness is awake only when the moon and stars highlight the skies. Suddenly the roads are alit with bright and colorful trees and decorations and children begin to envision a room full of toys. Waiting becomes a challenge for the child and time moves too quickly for the adults. Others wait for a light of truth to set them free.

The season is often called Advent — a Latin word meaning “coming.” - a season of preparation for arrival of a small light in a dark room. Waiting 25 days is a small test of our patience as many wait for months and years. The world’s history is long and full of those in prison for their beliefs and kind deeds towards others — all of whom waited for long periods of time in small dark rooms. The list includes Jesus, the Apostle Paul, John The Baptist, and others of ancient times. More modern names include Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr. and reporters just doing their job.

Not all who wait are in prison — some are in hiding hoping to escape dangers from out-of-control terrorists. The most famous well read story is that of Anne Frank who was one of many Jews hiding — waiting to escape, becoming refugees and later immigrants in many countries, including the U.S. Miep Gies was one of the Dutch citizens who hid Anne Frank, her family and four other Jews. In her visit to a Long Beach high school class, Miep Gies said, “I am not a hero. No. I did what I had to do, because it was the right thing to do.” “Even an ordinary secretary or a housewife or a teenager can, within their own small ways, turn on a small light in a dark room.”

The season is a reminder of the need for small acts providing lights of hope to those living in dark rooms waiting for a light of truth to set them free.

Jarryl Larson

Edgecomb