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A bright side in these dark times

Times are changing in our little town.
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Times are changing in our little town.

Everywhere you go, people are wearing masks (most of them anyway), while more restrictions are quashing some of the little pleasures we take for granted in our lives. Yoga and gym classes. Pictures with Santa. Watching kids play hockey at the local rink.

It’s enough to dump you into the doldrums, except there is still so much good in this town to bring you up.

The other day I was lamenting the negative posts on the 100 Mile Free Press’ Facebook feed on stories around COVID-19. I had to look away. And when I did, I noticed all the love pouring in for people in our community who continue to make our lives bright, likely even without even knowing it.

I’m talking about people like Dimps Horn, the Clinton 4-H leader who had just been recognized for 50 years of leadership service with the organization. For two days - and counting - Dimps has ranked among the top 10 stories on our website. Scores of people have congratulated her, saying no one is more deserving of the recognition. “A very special person who has influenced so many people in all that she does!” one reader said, while another remarked: “I’m so privileged to have been a 4H member under her leadership.”

A woman I grew up with said Dimps had been her idol and thanked her for “lighting the way for so many of us kids.” It made me sad that I wasn’t in 4-H.

It also made me happy, though, to see those congratulations, to know that no matter what the pandemic throws at us we can get through this because people care. The 70 Mile General Store, for instance, has started a delivery service to the outlying areas for older people in that community. Santa Claus had to cancel his photoshoot in Candy Cane Lane and his annual parade because of COVID but organizers found a way to get him out in the community to spread the joy in a physically distanced manner.

Others have devised online craft fairs so we can buy unique handmade gifts for Christmas, while Hospice has come up with a virtual Memory Tree to keep some semblance of normalcy in these chaotic times. I love all the ingenuity and the resourcefulness coming out of our community, and the fact that so many people are embracing these new novel approaches to stay positive in these dark days.

It sucks that we have to face all of these restrictions but on the bright side, I’m thankful I’m in a community where we have each other to get through it.


newsroom@100milefreepress.net

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