It’s nearly the end of the year and I’ve received several of those long letters recounting a person’s activities in 2005. So interesting, these lives sound – but I always think of them in newspaper terms. (Old habits die hard.)

Instead of the traditional Year in Review, I can think of several events which I’d like follow-ups on. Some of them originated much more than a year ago. Big ideas. Big plans. Big fizzles in some cases.

One is the Doomsday way we anticipated the year 2000 and the snarl as to what to call it – just when did the new millennium start? Remember all of the worry and concern we had about clocks, bombs, airline schedules, programming computers and all of that? Didn’t the Feds, the states and towns get carried away and set up some kind of committee/fund with which to handle emergencies? What’s the status of all of that? It’s been five years (or is it six?) and time to review!

Something else I’d like follow up on is the idea of our country “going metric.” This originally was announced when I was working for one of the biggest building material/lumber manufacturers in Maine – right here in Windham. Hundreds of employees and customers fretted and worried about what a 2×4 would be called – in fact, while I was working there a 2×4 became something less than that – take your measuring tape and check it out. The rationale that the whole world was “metric” didn’t seem to persuade us to change our ways. Yet.

Locally, we need some follow-ups, too. I could name a dozen committees in Windham which were formed over the past 10 years, each with a very important task. Some of them have been discontinued formally by the Town Council, with a handshake and a well-done, but the tasks and conclusions these committees produced have never been acted upon. Remember the Affordable Housing Alliance (we need it, but don’t have it), the Cemetery Land Search Committee (we did add a little space at Arlington and Mayberry cemeteries, but nothing has been done about building a municipal cemetery); the Historic Preservation Committee (we have an ordinance) dissolved (I was the last member) because when all ramifications of enforcing the ordinance became known, it was thought to be unworkable. Most of the people on that committee would never live long enough to see an historic district actually established, given the length of time needed for the necessary public hearings. The ordinance stands, but the committee is necessary to do all the “up front” work and there is no committee.

Yes, there are plenty of issues left open-ended. Something to look forward to – in 2006 and for many years to come.

Meanwhile, I’ll remember 2005 as the year in which our country lost “one of the 10 most influential theologians of the 20th century” (according to Time magazine). Dr. Vine Deloria Jr., who authored more than 20 books, was a history professor at the University of Colorado when he died. The title of his first book became a bumper sticker often used by cynical folk: Custer Died for Your Sins. He was known as an incisive writer and social critic. Deloria, his father and grandfather were all Episcopalian church leaders and were all born in South Dakota. He was Executive Director of the National Congress of American Indians, and served in the Marine Corps. Among Indians, he was known to have a wonderful sense of humor and was loved by all. His last book, one which he hadn’t finished yet, was about the miraculous accomplishments of Indian medicine men/healers. Perhaps one of his sons will complete the book. That is something to really look forward to.

I hope we all have a peaceful, warm, healthy Christmas week and the new year brings each of us the revelation of the Golden Rule.

See you next week.

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