In Celebration of Community & People

In Celebration of People

Let’s celebrate the amazingness of people. People with gravitas. People who are showing up and being brave and courageous.  A whole bunch of them. Folks with different descriptions and roles in our daily lives.

This about this story: Starting on July 7, the Cozy Café reopened in Fairview. The magic that is the Fairview Cozy Café is back! Linda and her team are serving delicious meals served with homemade bread, garden fresh sides, bread pudding, pie. Check out the menu on Facebook. Thank you, Linda and the Cozy family for bringing the reality of the Cozy back into our lives! Meals are served from 11:00 – 1:30 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and Friday evenings 5:00-8:00. Friday evenings - reservations only. Call by 3:00 for Friday evening carry out or dine in – 785.467.3465 or785.467.3001. To eat these meals is a tangible act of believing in the now and future.  

Here’s another one: Mindy raises a huge garden and sells produce at farmers’ markets. She also sells produce subscriptions to northeast Kansas residents. An outstanding farmer, she and her family deliver fresh local vegetables and fruits each week to subscribers’ doorsteps. Sweet corn, zucchini, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, kohlrabi, patty pan squash and potatoes make up some of the surprise packages of vegetables that have arrived on our porch.  Mindy also has a great website farmfitliving.com. Check it out! Mindy and her family live their dedication to rural life. Their work supports healthy food availability for their customers. 

And then there is Sidney: She keeps a flock of chickens. Courtesy of her hens, she sells beautiful brown eggs. She delivers eggs after she finishes her summer job at a local day care facility. Balancing school and work, sports, activities and family time keep her plenty busy.  Curious, energetic, cheerful and hard-working, Sidney is a great example of a person who recognizes a need and fills that niche. A wise young woman with an appreciation for tackling the real things in life! 

Angela Twombly is a skilled creative in the kitchen. She features baked goods, garden produce, and specialty dairy treats-chèvres aka goat cheese! Homemade, handmade caramels rich with cream and butter—they melt in your mouth. She has a baked goods delivery route for lucky folks in northeast Kansas. Check out her facebook page The Inquisitive Farmwife. https://www.facebook.com/TheInquisitiveFarmwife/?pageid=1836477583296688&ftentidentifier=2644950525782719&padding=0 Try some of Angie’s luscious treats. Those caramels and her chocolate covered turtle candies make fantastic gifts for loved ones—and for yourself!

Now, let’s think about teaching and learning challenges in 2020-21: Local teams of educators from many backgrounds are figuring out what to do this fall to bring school safely to kids. Thanks to people working hard to provide safe havens for those people and families supporting and teaching students. Home schools, public schools, private schools, parochial schools, blended, combined, reinvented structures. . . Thinking wildly outside of the box! But here is the guarantee: Learning will happen every day. The courage, common sense and curiosity will drive learning success for children.  It will be the likes of which haven’t been seen in our lifetimes.  Sharing solid knowledge of subjects, human compassion, wisdom and incredible bravery will denote the 2020-21 school year as one of the greatest educational efforts ever recorded. It’s the willingness to show up with faithfulness and continuing enthusiasm that will set this year as the touchstone of success. People braving unbroken ground. Communities of people happy to embrace the opportunities in the challenges. Successfully navigating unknown paths to new learning will be a pride point written and remembered in the annals of the history of Kansas. 

Finally, let’s add to this the list of local people who make big differences: the mechanics, wholesale and retail workers, food preparers, musicians, truck drivers, tailors, factory teams, farmers, accountants, attorneys, artists, bankers, ranchers, livestock producers, spiritual leaders, homemakers, first responders, medical community members, tech personnel, sanitation teams and workers, innovators, designers, engineers, safety teams, care givers, transportation workers, trouble shooters of all sorts. . . People showing up every day to offer their talents and skills as workers and responders to the needs of others.

And on this list, we remember You:  Especially You. 

You make a difference with your courage and patience. Your ability to talk calmly with people with different ideas and beliefs is powerful. Giving a soft answer or no answer. Listening. Only nodding in response. “Thanks. I’ll think about that.” Walking away slowly.  Diffusing conflict by not reacting in haste. Maybe counting to 10—or 20—before posting, texting or typing. Thinking about others’ ideas. Just waiting a little while. 

Thank You. 

God loves you. That’s a promise. Find love in your own heart to share. 

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13

Thanks for connecting with common-woman. You are appreciated.