What's going on out there?

Here are a few thoughts from the last few weeks. Remember, my thoughts are strictly my thoughts, not anyone’s at the paper, school, church or in my household. Please do not hold them accountable for anything I might write here or say in public. With that being said, here we go.

Take the survey. Whether online or through the mail, it does not matter as long as you do it. This is a chance for every one of us to finally voice an opinion on consolidation for the towns. I think we all know my opinion by now, but in case you missed it: I only see good things coming from consolidation, unity in services, tax dollars better at work for the citizens and more attractable atmosphere for new business. Not to mention a governing body with the whole area in mind, secure emergency services — both law enforcement and fire and EMS, shared resources, and a true consolidation of community. No more drawing lines in the dirt. OK, moving on.

Gun Rights. I know, touchy subject, right? Here is what I feel: If we start rewriting the Constitution, we are totally gone as a nation. We have already gone against many of the issues that the document was written to protect, and if we take away gun rights then we are leaving the common, law-abiding folks hanging in the wind once again; and this time there will be a second civil war on the doorsteps. How about we fund law enforcement better, mental health better, and stop blaming manufacturers of weapons when we all know it is the misguided, sick person behind the trigger who is to blame. A part of freedom is being free, and that comes with rewards and problems. One of those problems is that a wacko with a gun can act as a killer. It is our job to provide law enforcement and other professionals with all the tools they need to keep us safe, not put a lock on a weapon that we know the bad guy is going to get anyway.

Politics. Bottom line this year for president is a lose vs. lose. We are in trouble as a nation either way. The question is how we got here to begin with. Maybe it has something to do with those values we lost trying to make everyone feel better. We end up in an election that has fingers pointing everywhere and no one acting rationally. The squeaky wheel gets the oil, and the two loudest and least deserving to run the country are in front, and one will be President. If you combine this issue with the last one mentioned, things don’t look good.

This last weekend we took Grandma for a ride to see just how bad the fire last year was on the reservation. We were mostly concerned for where she has been going for years to pick huckleberries. It is devastated. It was very sad, to say the least, and when I read online that it could take 15-20 years for the berries to return to a producing state … well, let’s just say hearts are broken. Fire is a devastating force of nature, and has its good qualities. But when it is man-made and not only threatens lives and homes but wipes out generations of traditions, it leaves a sickening pit in your gut. I am praying for a speedy healing to the land of the Colville Tribes and to the hearts of its people.

On that drive I saw a freshly-born fawn in the middle of the black, scarred forest. That is the hope for the future: that we can cling to what got us this far to begin with. We will be reborn and cling to new life and not our surroundings. Start trusting in God or the Creator, that He has a plan that we don’t comprehend. He is in control. And as long as we follow what he has already laid down for us, we will be OK, or even more than OK. Things may look bleak and scary, but if we cling to the love that got us this far and stop trying to rewrite our past, then we can have hope for the future. Some changes are good, some are not so good; but do we have the mindset to see the difference. I’m just saying.