LO_10-19, Online And On The Streets

[Jim O'Bryan]

http://media.lakewoodobserver.com/issue_pdfs/Observer_Vol_10_Issue_19.pdf

Whew, what a couple weeks and as a community we must come together and keep our
collective eyes open for things that do not seem right. What is happening in Lakewood
is easy to change, by just being more aware.

We have a great police department and fire department, but they are nearly always
dependent on the help of residents who live in the area. We have been through this before
and I am sad to say we will go through this again, but it is not impossible to fix, and for
a community that is engaged as much as this one is, it is part of our day to day life.

Richard Grenier: "As George Orwell pointed out, people sleep peacefully in their
beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."

It is better for all when we work together.

.

[Michael Deneen]

It's a fine issue, but bittersweet.

I was very sad to hear about Wally's passing.
He was a true Lakewood institution.

Also, an Observer just isn't the same without the wit and wisdom of Gary Rice.

[Gary Rice]

Michael,

Thank you.

Actually, a number of people have kindly taken the time to express their thanks to me this week.

It's nice to know that my musings in the paper were appreciated.

I truly tried to help others, and hopefully, I'll be able to continue to do so, whether with the occasional future column, or on the streets of Lakewood. Speaking of those streets, I too will miss Wally terribly. I truly believe that there's a special place in Heaven for people who are able to look past their own adversities and try to help others, as Wally did so well- with that smile, that wave...

And by the way, thank you Michael, for your own observations, both regarding sports and in the political world. I hope that your own writings and perspective will continue to grow. Someone needs to keep using up Jimmy's ink. When I think of how many gallons of the stuff I've alone used up, it boggles my mind...

Thanks for that ink Jimmy. That was quite a gift you've given to me, and indeed, to all of us in this community who took our time to write for the Lakewood Observer.

When I started writing for the paper, I'd recently gone through three big life-changing events; the loss of my dear late mother, retirement from the classroom, and a head injury from a fall on black ice. Writing for the paper offered me an opportunity to look past my own situation to a higher vision. The paper became my grief counselor, my therapist, my post-teaching preoccupation, you-name-it...and you know, the column I wrote probably enabled me to keep teaching in a way. Teachers are always going to remain teachers, I suppose.

I think that I may have a dozen or so columns that never saw the light of day, due to their being essentially negative in character. Every now and again, I'd have to stop myself and ask whether I wanted to be a part of life's problems, or life's solutions? Ripping something apart is so easy to do. It is much harder to build, compromise, and interact, than to simply play the bull in the glassware shop. I guess at this stage of my life, I wanted to be a builder, rather than a demolition guy.

I know that I've also driven some people to distraction on the 'Deck here by playing the conflict-resolution-minded banjo player. Someone will post this or that concern, and along comes Gary with that doggone peace-making banjo of his! I certainly did not mean to make light of many real discussions here on the 'Deck, or to downplay or pooh-pooh anyone's honest concerns, but at the same time, having experienced my own challenges and conflicts in life, I suppose that I've developed a sense that being constructive is more important to me than ripping something apart.

In so many, many ways, Lakewood is a much nicer place that when the Observer Project began. The downtown, the library, and the schools virtually glisten, the shops buzz with activity, and the neighborhoods remain...well, neighborhoods, and that's the important thing.

Best wishes to you Michael, to you Jim, and to all who peruse and participate in the Observer Project!

I'm sure that someone will make the ink that I don't think that I'll be using as often count for something.

If they don't, you may hear from me again. (smile)

Back to the banjo!

Gary Rice