OPEN OUR EYES
Open my eyes that I may see,
Blessings, O God, you’ve sent to me.
My eyes have been opened this week to several blessings
in my life and our county.
My mother has had several critical health problems in the
past few weeks. We were very cautious in our outlook for
her. She was moved back to the hospital and is making
unbelievable progress. She could not talk, walk, eat or
swallow food or water. Remember, she is 94 years old! I just
received a call from my sister, who told me that Mother
said, in a very audible and forceful tone, “I want to walk!”
So they assisted her in taking a very few steps!
I thought, “That is it. Our town and county need to tell
our-selves, ‘We are going to succeed, one step at a time’!”
Blessings we can count are things we take
for granted. Dark skies at night where stars can be watched,
community gatherings that tourists want to visit, hills to
host bike races, an Historical Society with few but
determined members that won’t give up on the dream of a
Heritage Village, quiet family camping, family friendly
festivals, incomparable muskie fishing, a drive-in theater,
a genealogical library that has wide recognition, motorcycle
riding on Rt. 16 and 33, and people who are known, for the
most part, to be very friendly.
These are all activities that most people
hear about from other people. Our events are not widely
publicized. We are not on West Virginia tourism calendars,
or in their brochures. Tourism is the growing industry in
our state. People are not traveling as much by plane or
train because of the fear of terrorists, or going long
distances because of fuel prices. West Virginia is an
affordable trip for people in cities, and Calhoun County can
be part of this change in travel.
Think about this and keep in mind, “We are
going to succeed, one step at a time!”