On Making A Difference - 9/24/08

Hanover will have its new high school. When the official word came down, I was of course thankful. If we decide not to move to a remote location to become Christmas Tree/Blueberry/Maple Syrup farmers (my husband’s dream) then my children will have the benefit of a brand-spanking new school building. Hooray!

This got me thinking about all the folks who have put their time and effort into making this new high school a reality. If I tried to name everyone, it would be like an Oscar winner’s thank you list: Way too long, with an orchestra loudly trying to drown me out as the hook comes to drag me off stage. And of course, names would inadvertently be forgotten.

There are those who have spent years working for this dream. (You know who you are, and we do too.) More recently, the people at HHSYes have put their lives on hold, working countless hours rounding up volunteers, compiling data, crunching numbers and a thousand other details. Then there are people like me, whose volunteer effort was placing a sign on my lawn, co-writing a letter to the Mariner and holding a sign and waving like a lunatic on Election Day. And then there are the people who were only able to do one simple but vitally important contribution: vote yes.

That one simple act may not seem like much in the grand scheme of things, when so many others did so much for so long. But without your one vote, or your neighbor’s vote, or your husband’s vote, there would be no new high school. You never know how something so small can impact the lives of others

Case in point: My friend Julianne has always had high regard for my writing abilities (even when I did not). Last January she suggested we co-write a blog. I couldn’t believe how much I had missed writing. When the Around Town position became available, it was Julianne who demanded I pick up the phone and apply for the job. So when I have that five-book deal, it will be Julianne I have to thank (okay, I’m getting a bit ahead of myself here). With one small suggestion, she literally changed me life.

It reminds me of one of my favorite holiday movies, “It’s A Wonderful Life” (I loved it long before Ted Turner crammed it down our throats 24/7). Clarence the angel shows the despondent George Bailey what life would have been like had he never been born. George’s brother is dead (George wasn’t there to save him from drowning), George’s kids are non-existent, and his wife is a spinster, his uncle committed to an asylum. My favorite line is when Clarence says to George, “Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives, and when he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?”

Take a moment to think about the things that you have done, for your family, your friends, your neighbors, and even strangers. That meal you made for the needy family at church. Picking up a friend’s child from school so that she can go on a job interview. Checking off the “yes” box on a town ballot. It may seem like a small thing, but it can change lives in ways you never imagined.