Contributing writer
The Sudoku puzzle went unsolved this morning and my cup of coffee is cooling beside the computer because I suddenly realized I had not sent in my weekly column to the Marion County Record.
This has been a busy week — aren’t they all? On Saturday, members of the Trinity Lutheran Church and Ramona’s Town Council put a new roof on the shelter building and the bathroom at the park in Ramona. This was Kathy’s (our Postmaster) bright idea. The shelter house, built some 20 years ago, needed a new roof and before you could count to a hundred, we had one.
All of the people present at the roofing project are what I call “movers and shakers.”
“Come with your cordless drill,” Kathy had written on a note to remind us of this big event, and they came with drills, ladders, and good will.
One of the amazing facts about this gathering of helpers was that the majority of them didn’t even live inside the city limits of Ramona. Merv and Junior, Rick and Kent, Nolan and Max — all country dwellers. But because they and the rest of their church family at Trinity Lutheran have pledged to better the world, build a community, and improve our lives, they were there.
The same goes for the rest of the roofing crew: Don and Art, Byron and Jim, and Kathy and Jess, who all live inside Ramona’s boundary.
This roofing project was a fine event. It stirred up the town as word-of-mouth traveled around.
“Something’s happening at the park.”
It set a wonderful example for kids in town as they watched their elders working together.
“When do we have park clean-up?” fourth-grader C.J. asked me. “Isn’t it about time, again?”
These kids had worked so hard on the park after the ice storm to make it look good again.
The minute someone moves into town, it quickly becomes apparent what kind of neighbor they will be. Do they introduce themselves to their neighbors? Are they warm and friendly at the post office?
Do they ask about town rules — what’s allowed and what isn’t? Do they clean up the packing boxes in their front yard?
A town is our home, an extension of our own four walls, a reflection of how much each individual in its city limits cares about themselves and others.
Unfortunately, in small towns, we all too often have move-ins that have slid along life’s path and drifted from the main road. They are looking for either anonymity or cheap rent. When someone moves into town with a real job, the town council rejoices.
“Yes,” we say. “We need more people like these folk.”
In a community, whether it’s comparatively large like Marion and Hillsboro or dinky like Ramona and Lost Springs, we need every single person in town to be careful people who know how to clean up after themselves and respect their neighborhood.
Truth is there is no neutral ground in these small towns. You are either a plus or a minus. You are either part of the building crew or you’re tearing down the town. No middle ground.
Not a single resident can say, “I just mind my own business, do my own thing!”
There is no such thing. “Your own thing” may be the wrong thing for the guy next door. You are not an island. You are living in community. What you do affects everyone else for good or ill.
It’s another day in the country, and the future of our little country towns rests in your hands.