Looking back on what was, in so many respects, a very difficult year for all Americans, it is refreshing to recall acts of kindness and generosity that have made a difference in the lives of others.

John Worthley and Luanne Zelko of Hermon, for example, are grateful for the care and concern expressed by Dr. David Cloutier and staff at Veazie Veterinary Clinic who helped the couple through the difficult last days of their “beloved chocolate lab, Keiko.”

Dr. Cloutier even sent them “a sympathy card, with Keiko’s own paw print on it, telling us not to hesitate to call if there was anything he could do in our time of grief,” they wrote.

The couple believes Veazie Veterinary Clinic “is an exceptional place with persons dedicated to giving the human connection, too.”

Terry Begley and Marla Stellpflug O’Byrne of Friends of Acadia and Jonathan Gormley of Acadia National Park wrote to thank the 280 volunteers and 14 local business sponsors who took part in November’s Take Pride in Acadia Day.

Without the help of the volunteer crews who raked leaves from ditches and culverts along 15.4 miles of Acadia’s carriage roads, leaves would have blocked the runoff from the winter thaw and spring rain, eroding the roads and requiring many hours and dollars to repair.

From those who provided transportation, supplies and services, to those who served the lunch after the raking, thanks are extended to all participants.

From Gregory Dore of the Skowhegan-Madison Elks Lodge comes word of several donations that organization made during the holiday season to help people near and far away.

The lodge spent $800 on Thanksgiving baskets for needy families and also donated $800 to purchase Christmas gifts for low-income families and foster children.

The Togus Veterans Medial Center received $1,400 for five hospital-grade television sets; $200 went to the Louisiana and Mississippi Elks veterans committee to help victims of Hurricane Katrina; and $100 was given to the Maine Elks Association Veterans Committee.

And, finally, the Lodge continued its long tradition of hosting the Senior Spectrum-Catholic Charities Christmas party, donating $500 to help cover expenses for that event.

One October afternoon, as the Northern Maine Regional Airport in Presque Isle filled with family members and friends bidding farewell to loved ones, Wendell Rafford of Masardis “gained a lot more respect and admiration for the men and women of our Armed Forces,” he wrote.

“Not only for them,” he added, but also for those they left behind.

Rafford also appreciated the fact that Irving Forest Products allowed him time off to say goodbye to his son, who was leaving for a year in Kuwait.

Looking around the airport, watching other families and friends young and old facing the same situation, Rafford was overcome “by the amount of tears shed … with just the thought of a loved one being in harm’s way.”

That experience, he wrote, “shines a whole new light on the war-torn area in which they are headed.”

Rafford asks you to join him and his family “in saluting and saying a few words of prayer for each and every military and civilian in harm’s way” because the Rafford family learned, as did all the others there that day, that “saying ‘see you soon’ is hard.”

Explaining that “as computer components are upgraded” at Northern Maine Medical Center, Adam Landry, director of NMMC’s information systems, works to find another use for them.

Since the equipment is still in excellent condition but is “no longer of use to us as a result of changing technology or practical to maintain,” he explained, it still can be used by others.

And that is why, in late November, Madawaska Middle-High School received 17 additional computer monitors that both students and faculty can use.

Retired nurse Ruth Barker of Veazie extends “thanks for the photo and description” of an area that included both Eastern Maine Medical Center and the Bangor Water Works on State Street along the Penobscot River.

She was referring to a Kevin Bennett photograph appearing in the BDN on Nov. 30.

“It is very interesting to me, as a graduate nurse from the hospital a few years ago,” Barker wrote.

“I have seen the progress that has taken place with the hospital property and surrounding area.

“Thanks again for this display. I shall preserve this picture.”

Happy New Year, everyone!

Joni Averill, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402; 990-8288.