Letter: Time to say thank you
It’s time to thank so many serving on the front line of this societal storm. Every time I take a shower, switch on a light, or take the trash can to the curb I remind myself to remember those who leave their homes to provide creatures comforts I too often take for granted. All the truly heroic law enforcement officers, first responders, ambulance, fire and medical personnel who place themselves between our community and danger. And those who place themselves at risk to deliver meals to those quarantined by sickness or circumstance.
And speaking of that last cohort … Thank you Susie Davis, Kelly Liken and everyone at The Community Market generously provided by the Eagle Valley Community Foundation. Thank you Salvation Army staff, Tsu and Patricia and your team, for coordinating the feeding of hundreds of our citizens. Thank you Dan Smith and Mike Williams, two of my heroes, who are working daily to get food packages to families and our ambulance district staff under very challenging circumstances. Thank you, Mother Emily Lukanich, my colleague and friend, for coordinating our volunteers and getting them to the right place on time. Thank you, Chris and Nikki Heiden, from Main Street Grill in Edwards for preparing some of the best meals under duress our folks will enjoy. Take out until mid-April!
Thank you, SteamMaster and Sweeping Change for sanitizing our local Salvation Army food pantry so we can continue to provide daily food delivery. But most of all, and rarely acknowledged, I reserve particular thanks for the durable and amazing people of the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration, so often anonymous under that frequent “local churches” umbrella. For your quiet, courageous spirit of community service which compels you to leave the safety of your own home to bring food to others, for the inspiring way you have come forward without hesitation or complaint, I cannot thank you enough.
What an honor to serve you as you serve everyone else. As a parish priest and local pastor I have never been more proud than I am now to be associated with our community of faith. Our Jewish and Christian forebears have weathered these crises before many, many times, and deep within those who believe is a reflexive instinct to help others during times of tumult and stress. To see that instinct in daily motion is a life privilege for me and for anyone who received a box of food on their doorstep. My parents taught me that character is best defined by who one is when no one else is looking. Thank you one and all for displaying so selflessly your character in our moment of need!
Father Brooks Keith
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