Chaplain’s View – January 2025

Christine Hebert, MSG Chaplain
(207) 743-5277

Going forward in the new year, let us remember to be kind to one another, spreading love, joy, happiness, and faith. Let us have faith enough so we can hope for anything we want. Why not hope for kindness, joy, happiness, and love?

Being kind to one another is showing love.

“And now abideth faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of these is love.”

I Corinthians 13:13

Happy New Year!

An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.

Bill Vaughan

Wishing you the magic and joys…

Happy Holidays Christmas Sign

Grange Heirloom — December 2024

Grange Heirlooms are snippets from the lessons of the Grange as taught in the Rituals and Declaration of Purposes.

Use the icons below to share this Grange Heirloom on social media and help others understand what the Grange stands for! If this heirloom has a particular meaning for you, click the “leave a comment” link at the left and share your comment with us!


For additional information and resources regarding the Heirloom Program, visit the Heirloom Resource Page on the Maine State Grange Website.

Words for Thirds by any other name

While the Grange calls it “Words for Thirds,” many organizations and businesses are involved in The Dictionary Project. Heather Rank of the Fargo-Moorhead Rotary Club provided a wonderful video demonstrating their efforts. We think it’s great that a kid does the interviews! It gets a little noisy in places, so you may want to turn on closed captioning.

If your Grange is not involved in Words for Thirds, you miss a huge opportunity! There are so many benefits, and it’s fun! Check out our pages of resources to help. Let us know if you’re interested or have any questions. The third-graders in your community are waiting!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We would worry less if we praised more. Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent and dissatisfaction.

Henry Allen Ironside

Best wishes for a happy and thankful Thanksgiving!

The Thanksgiving Reader is a fun activity about gratitude, family, and possibility. It was created several years ago by Seth Godin to”bring people together to not only celebrate the end of the harvest but to look one in another in the eye and share something magical.” It’s absolutely free, simple and easy! Check it out!

Valley Grange Dictionary Days

Valley Grange is proud to have handed out close to 250 dictionaries to third-graders this year. That puts us well over 4,000 since starting the program several decades ago. Enjoy some photos of this yearโ€™s program.

Dictionary Days are fun because learning is fun!

If your Grange is interested in starting a Words for Thirds Dictionary Program, complete the form below. No obligation!

Name of person submitting
Email address of person submitting
What position, if any, you currently hold.

Celebrate Veterans

elderly man hanging american flag by the window
Photo by Mike Jones on Pexels.com

Here are some ideas for celebrating our veterans on their special day that don’t require much planning.

  • Visit a Veterans Memorial or Cemetery. Contrary to some social media posts, Veterans Day honors both fallen and living Veterans. Memorial Day is meant to honor those who paid the ultimate price.
  • Serve the Veteran Community by volunteering or donating. You can combine this with your visit!
  • Go to a Veterans Day event. It may take some searching, or you could create your own. Put up a flag!
  • Create a moment of silence. A simple but powerful activity would involve concentrating on what our veterans make possible for us all.

These and some additional ideas are available at Veteran Life.

Today Is Your Day!

Most polling places are open from 8:00 am until 8:00 pm

Grange Heirloom — November 2024

Grange Heirlooms are snippets from the lessons of the Grange as taught in the Rituals and Declaration of Purposes.

Use the icons below to share this Grange Heirloom on social media and help others understand what the Grange stands for! If this heirloom has a particular meaning for you, click the “leave a comment” link at the left and share your comment with us!


For additional information and resources regarding the Heirloom Program, visit the Heirloom Resource Page on the Maine State Grange Website.