Hello from the amazing Maine coast!

My turn in the editorial rotation landed while I was on vacation, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to share the happiness this place brings me.

Do you have a place that brings you unlimited joy?

The southern coastline of Maine is that place for me - and has been for many years.

My college roommate, who hailed from Bucks County, spent summers in a town called Ogunquit. I’d never heard of it, but I traveled to see her during our seasons off from classes. Those few weeks were all it took. In fact, I probably fell in love with the area sometime during the first day.

As life continued, and the busyness of family increased, my visits to Maine ceased. We visited just once when the kids were very young.

Twenty years passed in what still feels like the blink of an eye.

We reconnected after a Christmas card exchange in 2020 and traveled to Maine as a family in August 2021. We’ve been back a handful of times already.

It’s a happy place - and a calm, easy space - for all of us. So much so that we’re now Maine homeowners. This little slice of awesomeness makes me smile each time I think about it.

Our cottage is about a mile from the town center of Kennebunkport, called Dock Square, and just a smidge farther from the beach. This summer, countless times, we’ve walked in the morning along the water, explored and climbed to the top of lighthouses and enjoyed the sights of seals sunning on rocks.

Most days, it feels like Hallmark could be on location shooting a movie. Really - it’s just that beautiful and perfect.

Finding this place has been a true gift for me and my family. It arrived when life was taking us in entirely new directions - literally - and has given us an additional place to land together, to take a few deep breaths and reconnect with happiness and gratitude.

Wherever your happy place may be, beaches or mountains, filled with sunshine or snow, I hope you land there often and enjoy your own little slice of Hallmark.

Kelly Lutterschmidt

editor

Whitehall-Coplay Press

Northampton Press

Catasauqua Press