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Letters to the editor

Attitude of Gratitude


To the Editor:

During a recent power outage in our neighborhood, we played a card game by candlelight with our grandson who was visiting us for the week. We played with the assurance that our city utility crew soon would have our electricity connected again.

As we discussed the outage, we recalled the lack of power during the ice storm in January 2005. Both times our trust in our utility team was confirmed by rapid reconnection.

A few days after the recent episode one of the city staff happened to be in the yard next door. I hurried to speak with him, primarily to thank him for missing a family social event in order to correct the electricity outage. As I thanked him, he appeared astonished and said humbly that "not many people thank us." Shame on us.

There are so many people who tirelessly labor to make our lives comfortable in our little village. Let's create an attitude of gratitude for all the ways they care for our well-being.

Margaret Wilson

Marion

Summer Ball


To the Editor:

There's nothing better than summer youth baseball. What a great way to spend time with family, friends, and neighbors. My family has experienced this to the full degree after having games five nights a week.

Thank you to our volunteer parent-coaches. Without them summer baseball couldn't exist.

As a parent whose child is "moving up the ranks," I had the opportunity to hear The Sportsmanship code of Babe Ruth Baseball. I feel it summed up many key points needed to be learned by our kids to be a successful team, not just to win games.

As exciting as baseball was for us this summer, it was overshadowed by kids criticizing kids. Kids should not only be learning the important skills it takes to win a baseball game, but the important skills of sportsmanship, encouragement, and appreciating each team member for the individual strengths he/she brings to the team. Whether pitching, catching, or sitting on the bench offering words of encouragement, teammates should feel camaraderie, not competitiveness among each other. When there is a win for the team, it should be celebrated by and for the entire team, not just the players out on the field.

I invite all parents and parent-coaches to remind our children how important it is to cheer for and build up fellow teammates as each one always contributes to the team.

Stacey Pedersen

Marion

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