Look how much good is performed

With the end of 2025, I find myself doing the expected thing: looking back over the closing year.

 

I wish to thank everyone who contacted the paper to make sure we know about interesting people and occurrences.

 

I want to point out we have a marvelous community, occupied for the most part by people who make positive contributions because they have positive outlooks. I have mentioned before that I like to read books which describe “near death experiences.” I came across one recently in which writer Jim Woodford tells of asking an angel why God puts up with humans, given the many evils our race commits.

 

The answer stays with me.

 

It was something like “But look how much good is performed. Taken all together, the acts of good and kindness vastly outweigh the evils.”

 

The delight of being a writer for a small-town newspaper is that, to our publication, everything is news. The big, far-reaching decisions involving millions of dollars as well as small acts of craftsmanship or kindness; hard-fought battles with disease; inspiring accomplishments; poignant memories; entertaining anecdotes; exceptional dedication; small actions and decisions which grow beyond all expectation.

 

Our ultra-local focus allows us writers to speak personally with people who leave us awestruck and impressed, who touch and warm our hearts, or who make us think about who we are and who we want to be. Then it’s our job to encapsulate those stories, allowing readers to feel as if they had been present at the interview.

 

The task would be intimidating if it were not also a privilege.

 

Naturally, it cannot be performed perfectly. For those among you who have been dissatisfied with the way your stories appeared in the paper, I am sorry. We try very hard and we have the best intentions, but sometimes things go wrong. I wish it weren’t true, and mostly, I regret any feelings of disappointment or anger you experienced.

 

For those of you who were pleased, we are glad to have done well for you. Equally importantly, we are glad your story is now not only told, but recorded. As our “Archives” pages prove each week, newspapers are a durable medium. It is one thing to have a personal circumstance that “everyone knows” about. The information is shared and reshared, spreading rapidly–especially thanks to social media. But it’s hearsay. One doesn’t know how well it can be trusted, and years from now, it will be buried so deep in the landslide of online information that it will never be found.

 

Newspapers, on the other hand, must meet certain standards of professionalism and accuracy. Any which do not meet those standards do not last long, and are “a jest and byword” while they exist.

 

There are many, many people I became acquainted with because it fell to me to learn and record their stories. To a person, you have helped me become better informed, more knowledgeable, and more deeply impressed with the versatility and stamina of humankind. I am glad and grateful that we met and I learned your story. Thank you.