This good community is full of hope

To The Eagle:

We have a good community, and it takes a lot of hard work from everyone. When Ryan and I moved to Cathlamet three years ago, we noticed the element of community right away and fell in love. We have received so much support and made many friends.

In the climate of seemingly endless uncertainty our country faces, I must confess to moments of hopelessness. However, when I attend local Health & Human Services advisory board meetings, I walk away with hope again. Wahkiakum county is full of caring, hard-working, creative—genuinely good—people.

The Cathlamet Public Library is another place I find hope. Carol Blix, with the help of a handful of dedicated volunteers (and we’re a handful, believe me!), just wrapped up the 2017 Children’s Summer Reading Program. A ton of work goes into that free program, and it’s worth every bit. Every year, we have more kids participating than the last. What a wonderful way for kids to beat boredom, learn new games, win prizes, have fun, and be encouraged to read!

And I cannot help but notice our sheriff’s department. The officers who serve our county really do the best with what they have. They truly care about the community; and they are quick to offer a smile, a listening ear, or a helping hand. There are so many other wonderful organizations in our county, most of them run in great part by volunteers, I could fill up a whole newspaper. As I mentioned previously, we fell in love.

Most of us will never see eye-to-eye on many issues, but I have found that even when speaking to people on “opposite ends of the political spectrum,” we tend to agree on a solid 80 percent of the issues our country faces. I urge you to continue speaking up and also to listen to each other. Many of us get a little passionate about matters of the heart such as political and spiritual beliefs, but even when we do not agree, we can still hold conversations and respect each other as humans.

A couple of final thoughts: It’s good to be an informed citizen, but if the national news gets overwhelming, I challenge you to shut it off for a day, for your own mental health’s sake. The people of Wahkiakum county are absolutely lovely. So take an afternoon to indulge in the local community, even if you just sit with a friend and talk face-to-face.

Minette Smith

Cathlamet

P.S. I must say I appreciate the resplendent vocabulary lessons from certain prolific, verbose, and opinionated readers of the news!