PUD workers are appreciated
Friday, January 2, 2009 3:36 PM PST
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E-mail this articleJan. 2 Letters to the Editor
PUD workers are appreciated
First, I want to thank the workers at Cowlitz County PUD for getting our electricity up and running after being off four hours on Christmas Day. We sure appreciate you and know you didn’t want to be out in the snow, missing your family celebration on this special day.
My only question is: How many of the people receiving the big wage increases were out working with you? I presume we know the answer to that question.
Kathy Harimon
Kelso
Christmas angels
From Dec. 16 through Christmas Day, we found ourselves snowbound and isolated. Even though my husband Rod had been moving snow with his little Kaboda tractor every day, he was unable to clear the length of our driveway before another snow event piled up even more.
We felt cut off from the world ... until an angel on a snowmobile came to check on us. Neighbor Rick Schlect and his daughter Kayla were certainly a welcome relief from the all enveloping whiteness. Not only did they check on us, he later took us out in his four-wheel drive so I could check on my 95-year-old mother and we could replenish supplies.
On Christmas Day, he called to tell us that two large trees had fallen across our driveway. He spent much of Christmas Day cutting through the trees and moving rounds off of the drive. When his chain-saw broke, he helped another neighbor, Jeremy Holt, get his truck unstuck so he could get to his chain saw. With Jeremy’s help, access was accomplished.
But we were left with huge trees with root-balls on either side of the drive. Some other angels stopped by to see if they could help. Four men with chain saws, four-wheel drive pickups with a winch came and pulled the logs out and cut them up for firewood for their use and also slabbed an eight-foot log into landscape timbers for my use.
Judy Baker
Kelso
Listen to the children
Listening to children, I feel hopeful for our nation and the world. Their clarity and candor surprise and delight. The inauguration nears with a call for change heard across the land. What better time for children to speak and adults to listen?
Cowlitz AmeriCorps Network is sponsoring a Diversity Essay Contest open to 3rd-12th graders. Students’ essays of 200 words or less on what cultural diversity means are due by Jan. 12. Contestants should include their name, grade level, school, address and phone number. Submit essays to AmeriCorps, 1514 Commerce, Longview, WA; fax to 577-9137 or e-mail to diversityessay@gmail.com.
Winners will be announced and prizes awarded at 3 p.m. during a free, family-oriented Diversity Fair at the McClelland Arts Center, 951 Delaware, Longview, on Jan. 19 from 1-4 p.m. In their mission to create community through people, parks and programs, and in partnership with AmeriCorps, Longview Recreation is opening the McClelland to the public for this event.
Carole Eby
Cowlitz AmeriCorps Network
Human error?
In response to Ray Hepler’s Dec. 21 letter, Dave Coons (Dec. 15 letter) is accurate in saying that Jesus was crucified on Passover, specifically, Preparation Day (the day before the Sabbath during the Passover; cf. Luke 23:54).
In actually reading Matthew 2:22-23, Joseph and Mary do return to Nazareth. Note that in Matthew 2, the word child means “infant.” Jesus was an infant when His parents fled to Egypt, and was still an infant when they returned to Nazareth. Space doesn’t allow for a treatment of authorial intent, which accounts for the difference.
I’m not sure the argument here with Jesus having a family. At this point in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus is about 30 years old. It is conceivable that Joseph and Mary could produce more children after giving birth to Jesus in that time frame.
If you take the time to study to see whether the Bible is true or not, then perhaps it will not be so easy to cast it aside as impossible to believe.
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3).
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus (Php. 2:3-5).
Joel Royce
Castle Rock
New Christmas tradition
I am sure there are many stories of this being a sad Christmas due to being snowed in and not being able to do all the traditional things. However, in spite of the weather, this has been one of the most wonderful, stress-free, down-to-earth Christmases we have ever had.
Since I had not completed all the shopping, I started thinking of creative ways to make gifts and cards for everyone. We were prepared, as far as food was concerned, but being senior citizens living at Silver Lake and not having a four-wheel drive, we were stranded at home. Many of our friends with four-wheel drives and vehicles with chains stopped in to visit and see how we were doing and if we were in need of anything. I made goodies, called a neighbor to walk with me and went through the neighborhood and passed them around.
My kids bought a “turkey dinner in a box” and brought it up for Christmas. Our plans to be with them was for after Christmas, as we were supposed to be with other family members in Olympia. So, with an already cooked, complete dinner, we invited other neighbors who were unable to get out or whose kids couldn’t get here, and had a wonderful feast with very little preparation. It was delicious and the company was wonderful.
Maybe that will be the start of our new Christmas tradition.
Marilyn Coleman
Silver Lake
Paying it forward
I would like to thank the anonymous couple shopping at Ross on Sunday evening that came to the aide of an older woman (and were so generous). Hopefully, they will see this and know that their “random act of kindness” will continue. I will definitely “pay it forward” today and I bet I won’t be the only one.
Thank you for your example; may it snowball into the New Year.
Sherri Kingsley
Kelso
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