yay maine

when ed was growing up in new jersey, his family always drove to maine for a long vacation in the summer.
on one of those seemingly endless drives, when ed and his three siblings were still quite little, they were making the journey across the bridge over the piscatauqua river from new hampshire into maine. half-way over it, they passed under the green maine state line sign. suddenly, ed's mother shouted out "yay maine!" the joy and relief of finally being in maine was just too much to keep contained, and needed to be expressed by a loud cheer.

from that day on, whenever ed's family passed that sign and drove into maine, the "yay maine" yell could be heard loud and clear from everyone in the car. the tradition has continued to this day in our family. since the time our kids were small, we have always delivered a firm "yay maine" shout. today, when ed and i are alone in the car, i still say "yay maine!" out loud. i confess, even when i am alone in the car, i utter those two words quietly to myself. yay maine. a little benediction which expresses my happiness about going back to the place i love.

it's friday, and the weekend is here once again....have a good one!