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Wednesday, March 24, 2021 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
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Letters to the Editor…
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Hospice House needs expansion
to keep pace with area growth
To the Editor:
Access to quality medical care is critical,
and most of us plan carefully to ensure that
we have resources in place in the event of
accident or illness. In Central Oregon we are
fortunate to be able to quickly access a broad
range of these services.
For those of us who have experienced the
loss of a loved one, we know that end-of-life
care goes well beyond the acute care services
available to us. It also involves profound
See LETTERS on page 17
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Night training...
Sisters Fire District firefighters
strive to get as much realistic
training as possible to respond
to any type of incident.
The district continues to
actively recruit volunteers.
PHOTO BY JERRY BALDOCK
Got a great photo of life in Sisters Country?
Send your high-resolution photo to editor@nuggetnews.com.
N
It’s all about the
little things
By Gretchen Matos
Guest Columnist
The <Cruelest Miles,=
by Gay Salisbury and
Laney Salisbury, is a well-
researched, and superbly
written history of the epic
diphtheria anti-toxin dog-
sled relay run from Nanana
to Nome, Alaska in 1925.
The authors do a wonderful
job of researching and relat-
ing detailed background
information on the Eskimo
and Athabaskan peoples, the
use of and breeds of dogs
and dogsleds, the estab-
lishment of Nome, and
the advent of air travel in
Alaska, all while weaving in
the characters and drama of
a deadly diphtheria epidemic
in Nome after freeze-up.
In the midst of this com-
pelling story this description
of Nome stood out: <Nome
relied on a spirit of coopera-
tion and good citizenship,
a surprising transforma-
tion in light of the town9s
recent and sordid history. It
seemed as if every citizen
has an unofficial duty, and
each took it very seriously.
The trails were maintained
in part by volunteers who
made sure wooden stakes
marking the route were kept
in place, and the widow
Rattenburg sewed the red
cotton pennants that marked
the trail for miners heading
out & and shopkeepers kept
their stove stoked in case
a traveler needed to warm
up.=
This spirit was true out-
side of Nome as well, and
led to common men and
women being ready to
step up to do uncommonly
heroic acts. Harry Pika, an
Athabaskan musher, learn-
ing of the relay, hooked up
his team without a moment9s
hesitation and moved to
his assigned spot. He was
severely short on money but
did not think twice about this
volunteer mission. His com-
munity needed him. Another
musher, Edgar Kallands,
was settling in to rest after a
long haul in cold conditions.
But, <before the sweat on his
gloves had dried, he was up
again and ready for the call.=
Person after person made
an effort to find anti-toxin,
carefully package it, com-
municate logistics, and offer
up their skills to ensure the
effort to get anti-toxin to
Nome as quickly as possible
was successful.
These men would not
have braved 30-to-50-plus
mph winds and minus-
60-degree weather, risking
life and limb and dogs (many
of which died) if they had
not regularly done the small
things for others.
It struck me then that
community starts 4 and,
one could argue, ends 4
with the small things.
If doing the small neigh-
borly things is not part of
my character, it is not likely
I9ll be <ready for the call=
when the big thing comes.
The wisdom of Jesus9 words
came to mind, <treat others
(or more actively 8do9 for
others) as you9d like them to
treat you (as you9d like them
to 8do9 for you).= Simple and
profound.
T h e r e 9s l o t s l i k e
that going on in Sisters
Country. Kiwanis Club and
Wellhouse Church have food
banks where you can work
or donate to supply food to
families in the area; they
have other volunteer oppor-
tunities as well. The Council
on Aging of Central Oregon
provides lunches for seniors;
check out their donation and
volunteer opportunities. A
group of women at Sisters
Community Church gathers
twice a month to sew beau-
tiful quilts that are given to
men and women in shelters,
to children and to families.
Who knows how such a
simple gift of warmth might
save a life or comfort a soul
who thought no one cared?
Sisters Trails Alliance
accepts donations and vol-
unteers to help maintain
our local trail system. Did
I mention volunteers with
Deschutes National Forest,
Homeless Leadership
Coalition, and Circle of
Friends? If you aren9t
involved, there are a myriad
of ways to get involved.
These examples are the
tip of the iceberg (to stick to
my Alaska theme) of others
displaying a spirit of coop-
eration and good citizenship
here in Sisters Country. I9d
like to challenge us all to do
the same thing. Do some-
thing small but helpful for
your community regularly.
If volunteering isn9t your
thing, you can still cooper-
ate by holding a door open,
taking in a neighbor9s trash
can, talking to a neighbor
(safely of course), calling or
sending a note checking in
on someone in your circle.
Notice what someone might
need and do something help-
ful. Realizing this is our
community and the little
things we do are what make
us ready to answer the call
should the big thing ever
come.
Views expressed in this column are solely those of the writer and
are not necessarily shared by the Editor or The Nugget Newspaper.