Smiley’s writing

I am responding to the letter written by Andrea Maberry of Deer Isle in which she implies that Sarah Smiley is “grumping” about her move to Maine. Maberry needs to take a more objective look at Smiley’s writing.

Smiley is not making light of Maine’s or an individual’s economic woes, as Maberry suggests. Smiley is writing about her personal experiences, in a humorous manner, about moving from the south to the north. Maberry does not state where she moved from 20 years ago, but moving from different regions of the country is a difficult transition for a family.

I definitely felt Smiley’s same emotions when she brought her children to school and groups of mothers were milling around outside of the school and she and her children knew no one. My family has moved 12 times in the past 31 years; one of those moves to a different country and two moves from the North to the South. The culture, customs and language are very different in many regions of the United States. Smiley is just making light of her transition to another region and writing about experiences that many other people have had.

Hopefully some kind “Maine-iac” has taken Smiley under their wing and is helping her with the transition.

With all the negative and “woe is me ” articles that readers are confronted with daily, it is refreshing to read a writer’s column in which she writes humorously about her family and personal experiences and can put a smile on another reader’s face.

Susan White

Dedham