Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, August 23, 2023 -- THREE
~ Letters to the Editor ~
Spiritually Speaking
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for accuracy of statements made in letters. Any letters expressing thanks
Last week we reflected on the faith of the Canaanite
will be placed in the classifieds under “Card of Thanks” at a cost of $10. woman, and I have come across other scripture verses per-
Email to editor@rapidserve.net or upload to Heppner.net.
tinent to the faith of the Canaanite woman: “Don’t think
What is your experience
of Jesus?
Crosby has a
gift of humor
I thought Ms. Cros-
by, of Prineville, wrote a
couple of humorous letters
about getting older, and
then her love of deer. Nice
funny letters.
And then she really put
her tongue-in-cheek the
last couple of weeks. Her
humor in those letters was
overwhelming.
These letters were en-
tertaining and good for
a laugh. I truly enjoyed
reading them. I just knew
she could not have been as
seriously entertaining as
she has been.
A person has to go out
of their way to be as funny
as she managed to be.
I am not sure why she
is so interested in Heppner,
but more power to her. Not
everyone can write humor
like she can.
Robert H. Davidson
Milwaukie, OR
The world
needs a cow
There’s just been so
much chaos in the world
lately. Civil unrest, unruly
folks running rampant….
One hates to even turn on
the news. While some have
given up hope and think
this new generation is a
lost cause. I don’t. Not only
do I have hope, I have the
answer. Her name is Rosie.
No, I don’t think she
would be a great candidate
for some political office.
She doesn’t have the per-
sonality or the patience for
that. Foreign affairs would
be a problem since she can’t
even seem to get along with
the neighbor’s dog. She’s
way too opinionated and
I’m sure she’d rather just
keep her spot as Queen
of the Farm. Besides, I’m
pretty sure she doesn’t even
own a dress.
What I’m proposing
is that everyone get their
own “Rosie,” aka, milk
cow. If we could make that
happen…it would change
the world. See, the thing
about having a milk cow
is that they basically own
you. Your life is not your
own. It’s dictated by milk-
ing schedules, caring for
shredded teats, hauling,
stacking and paying for hay,
finding just the right grain
and trying to keep spoiled
calves from mooing their
heads off. And then there’s
the poo…mountains of it.
Who would have the time to
even think about misbehav-
ing, yet alone the energy?
If everyone had a milk
cow or two, all these young-
sters would no longer be
out on the street causing
a ruckus. They’d be up in
the barn, stacking hay…a
lot of hay.
“ D u d e ! To m o r r o w
morning we’re all gonna
go spray paint some statues.
Wanna come with?”
“Can’t. Gotta milk.”
“Hey, you wanna go
tear up the town tonight?”
“Can’t, gotta clean out
the barn.”
“You wanna go spread
hate and discontent with
us?”
“Nah, gotta get up early
tomorrow.”
No late-night outings
when your alarm goes off at
5 a.m. There will be a cow
waiting loudly in the barn
and udder mastitis lurking
in the shadows of those who
slumber.
So many advantages
that go even beyond the
gallons of milk we would
all be enjoying. Cream,
butter, cheese and ice cream
would keep a constant smile
on all our faces. Lactose in-
tolerance would be a thing
of the past with all the folks
downing that good bacte-
ria-filled raw milk.
Yes, what a happier
world this would be. No
nasty Facebook posts,
name-calling or “friend”
bashing. Loving your
neighbor would be pretty
much a necessity because
unloading hay is a heck of
a lot easier with help. And
you never know when you
might need them to milk
for you.
And, of course, there
would be no racial tensions
or prejudices. Everyone
would realize that the color
of milk doesn’t change with
the color of the cow. Red,
black, brown, Holstein or
Brindle…. it’s what’s inside
the udder that counts.
Susie Crosby
Prineville, OR
Seniors Matter
menus for Aug. 29,
September
On Aug. 29, South Mor-
row County Seniors Matter
will be serving meatloaf
with garlic mashed pota-
toes, corn, salad and dessert
at its Tuesday lunch.
September meals are:
Sept. 5—Beef Stro-
ganoff, rice, green beans,
dinner roll and dessert.
Sept. 12—Baked Ziti,
garden salad and dressing,
cheddar garlic biscuits and
dessert.
Sept. 19—Biscuits and
Gravy, scrambled eggs and
dessert.
Print
&
Mailing
Services
*Design
*Print
*Mail
Sykes Publishing
541-676-9228
Sept. 26—Tamale cas-
serole, garden salad and
dessert.
Meals are served at
11:30 a.m. every Tuesday at
St. Patrick’s Senior Center
in Heppner. Seniors 60 and
above may donate what
they can toward the cost
of the meal. Those 60 and
younger are asked for a
suggested donation of $5.
No to-go plates or de-
livery are offered at this
time, but diners may bring
empty containers for a por-
tion to take home.
that the Lord is too weak to save you or too deaf to hear
your call for help!” (Isaiah 59:1); “So let us not become
tired of doing good; for if we do not give up, the time will
come when you will reap the harvest” (Galatians 6:9). We
have a beautiful example of faith in the Canaanite woman,
who was finally praised by the Lord for her great faith.
In the first reading for the 20 th Sunday, from Isaiah
(22:19-23) we read of one person who is terminated from
his position of controlling access both to the city and to the
king, and the keys of authority are passed on to someone
else who is more reliable in the sight of God. Shebna
is rejected by the Lord for his disobedience to God. He
had violated the presuppositions upon which people are
given authority: that the power will not be abused, that
advantage will not be taken of others, that power will
not corrupt but be for service. In the place of Shebna,
Eliakim is placed in control of the house of God, and
all power and positions of the Church of God are placed
on his shoulders. Faith is given to us not to have power
over others or to make us feel superior to others but that
we might serve others and lead them in humility to God.
In this week’s Gospel, from St. Matthew (16:13-20),
Jesus places two questions before his disciples. Jesus re-
alizes His days are numbered and wants to do something
to continue His work. He needs to know if people have
understood His mission. The first question is generic in
nature: “Who do people say that I am?” Since it was a
simple question, all could answer something, and they
did answer with various responses. It is safe to quote
others, and the answers were highly complimentary: the
people believed He was God’s helper, messiah, prophet,
John the Baptist etc.
From that generic question, He leads His disciples to
a personal experience: “But you, who do you say that I
am?” Perhaps the disciples have been following Jesus for
a variety of reasons. Some thought He was a good teacher,
others that He might lead a revolution against Rome, still
others thought that He was a prophet, and maybe some
knew Him as a peasant social reformer. Now in the face
of that blunt question, they are silent; they do not want to
reveal their motivation for following Him. The personal
question that we all need to find an answer to after read-
ing and reflecting on this particular theme of the week
is, “What is your personal reason to follow Christ? Or to
continue as believers of Jesus?”
Finally, as usual, the courageous and bold leader
among the apostles, Peter, broke the silence and stuck his
neck out. He articulated, “You are the Messiah, the Son of
the living God.” Peter’s declaration had two parts. First,
he acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah for whom
the people had waited a long time. But Peter has a second
astonishing declaration to make: that Jesus is the Son of
the living God. This answer was more from his personal
experience with Christ. Imagine the example of the new
principal who comes to the town high school: People in
the town may have varied opinions to spread, but the
experiences of the principal’s colleagues (co-teachers)
and students are the ones who are meeting daily and
experiencing his love and guidance and may be able to
offer a personal answer.
Similarly, the Lord is asking the same question to all
of us: “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” and what
about you personally? Some may follow Him for nearly
30 to 80 years of our catholic life, reading the scriptures,
attending church functions and participating in the cele-
bration of the Eucharist, etc. Has it helped you in any way
come a little closer to the person in whom you believe?
This coming Sunday’s Gospel passage invites all of us
to have a personal experience with Christ in our personal
lives. And like Peter, we also should tell from our personal
experience of Christ that, “You are the Messiah, the Son
of the living God.”
Lexington council
meeting Sept. 12
The Lexington Town
Council will hold a regular
council meeting Tuesday,
Sept. 12, at 6 p.m. at Lex-
ington Town Hall.
Prior to the council
meeting, beginning at 5
p.m., the council will hold
a work session with Ander-
son Perry & Associates.
Both meetings are open
to the public, and communi-
ty members are encouraged
to attend. Lexington Town
Hall is located at 425 F
Street in Lexington. This
meeting will also stream
online via Zoom, meeting
ID: 687 755 5033, pass-
code: Lexington.
Any questions or con-
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Veronica Ferguson, Lex-
ington Town Recorder, at
541-989-8515 or lexington.
oregon@gmail.com.
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Good News Only by Doris Brosnan
This week’s column has become an opportunity for
plaudits for several persons who might receive notice and
applause rarely:
Hats off to the City Public Works employees who keep
our green spaces green (sometimes requiring sprinkler
repair), trimmed and inviting (even if they have to remove
dog poop that owners have not removed); maintain the
public restrooms; keep our hanging baskets blooming and
are responsible for the Main Street lamps; maintain our
wells and the sewer plant; fix potholes; having weighed
in on Thomson Square, they now maintain the food court;
and take care of our public buildings. Who do we thank?
Chad Doherty and Caleb McDaniel, Aleea Strouse, and
Annabell McDaniel.
Maybe “it takes a village” is indicative of many
projects our small number of Morrow County citizens
successfully accomplishes. The Morrow County Fair and
Rodeo is one such event: We can’t name the vast number
of individuals to credit with last week’s success story. So
many planners, so many “worker bees”! So many chal-
lenges to manage, details to iron out! Congratulations to
All for jobs well done.
Good to see so many entries in the Fair! Obviously,
many people don’t just think about entering something but
also follow through. And how impressive to see young and
older participants, talented photographers, artists, bakers,
canners, quilters, seamsters, vegetable gardeners, flower
growers, writers, growers of a variety of livestock… You
all are inspirational, truly!
What?! A rodeo parade without horses?! Safety first:
the highway cones, barriers, fluttering yellow tape, all
could spook horses…. We will remember this year’s fair
and rodeo week for many reasons, including our highway/
Main Street makeover.
Thank you, BEO employees for entering your float
in the parade. Bravo! Thank you, young people who
walked your heifers in the parade. At least we got to see
some livestock!
Kudos to the MC Sheriff’s Department: An appre-
ciative citizen who lives many miles from her closest
neighbor recently was aroused late at night by a knocking
on a window and when she went to a door—locked, with
a screen—she encountered an unfamiliar young man
who acted nervous, “antsy,” and said that he had been
left somewhere she didn’t recognize the name of and
wanted her to take him somewhere. She, instead, called
the sheriff’s department to report her concern; the man
immediately left her door but to where, she didn’t know.
When the deputy and her dog arrived, the dog followed
scent that showed that the late visitor had been inside a
nearby trailer house and that he had left via a back area
of her property. This was reassuring, and the visit by the
deputy two days later was even more consoling.
Only a couple of minutes is needed for getting your
positive notes to “Good News Only”: Remember that a
copy-and-paste to dbrosnan123@gmail.com or a call to
541-223-1490 of your FB post can be seen by an even
greater number of people!
Hope good news comes to everyone reading this
column!
217 North Main St.,
Heppner, OR
Phone 676-9158 Floral 676-9426
murraysdrug.com
Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-6pm • Sat 8am-6pm • Sun 9am-2pm
Pharmacy- Mon-Fri 9am-6pm
Lunch
& Dinner
Menu
Specials 8/24/8-30
Thursday - pulled pork sandwich &
coleslaw $9
Friday - chicken dumpling soup and
salad $9
Saturday - chicken strip salad $10
Monday - chicken bacon ranch burger
with fries $9
Tuesday - breakfast burrito for $9
Tuesday Night 6-9pm $2 hard shell
tacos
Wednesday Spaghetti for $9. $7 for
seniors.