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Health & Fitness

The Unity of Our Community

With the power of community, all things are possible. We can grow together.

Over the years I’ve lived in Pearl River I have had the privilege to observe and participate in several fundraisers and community events. There is something that cannot be denied about Pearl River; it is the town of caring people.

There have been many times sicknesses and losses have happened in our town. This may not seem too extraordinary because every community suffers these things somewhere along the way. The difference in Pearl River is that no matter what our differences are, we come together when times get tough. There is a certain comfort knowing that someone’s got your back when you may need the support of another to get through. For those who have been around long enough in this town or may just have been around for a few years, it’s easy to see that we stand by each others’ sides in times of need.

To name each situation would take an eternity to list. To mentionthe names of every supportive person involved, it would take even longer. As a community, we have faced death, sickness and tragedy. The key phrase here is that “as a community” we did it.

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If you look up the word community, the dictionary’s definition is a group of people having cultural, religious, ethnic, or other characteristics in common. This definition may seem dry without the context of the people and activities put into action. It does not offer the extent of the humanity, which we are privileged to be part of here. The community has helped one another day after day, year after year. When reflecting upon all the situations, I have witnessed at many of the school and community ceremonies that there is rarely a dry eye in the house when it comes to one of our own.

For a moment, consider all the fundraisers, ribbons posted around town, wearing a favorite color of one of our members who have passed, food and clothing drives which have happened in years past. It’s time for us to recognize our positive effect on one another. If you would ask anyone why he or she participates in these events they would typically answer, “Because it’s the right thing to do.” There is a sense of moral responsibility for our fellow community remembers. It doesn't seem to stop with the borders of the town since there have been other events to help our fellow human beings nationally or internationally.

Mother Teresa said that the problem with family is that our definition is too narrow. Perhaps she was speaking about the need for community. When looking at the word community it beaks down to com – meaning “with” and unity. We have approached our challenges with unity. We have come to be of service to one another in times of need. Perhaps we are coming upon a time to take that level of care to another level.

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Economic times have gotten tough and they do not seem to be getting better anytime soon. Food prices are moving up steadily along with gas. These things continually take away from our ability to thrive. Let's take on the challenge to have our community to grow together. I mean to literally grow together.

A common culture we share is our agri-culture. We all need sustenance to keep ourselves healthy and strong. A community garden can be a place where more than food is grown. We can deepen our relationships with one another while working side by side. We will contribute to our community in a way that used to bring us together in our not so distant past. Growing our food locally will be a new service to our neighbors and ourselves. Consider what it would be like to know where your food came from and how it was grown. Also, think about the outstanding care and energy placed into the food. That may change the way we view our food.

Do you remember studying in school about Victory Gardens grown during the World War II?  Bringing this idea to our current life seems to be only natural.  It brought people together under the patriotic idea of supporting one another.

Statistics show that farmer's markets are greatly increasing throughout the country. There must some compelling reason for this to happen.  Back in the early 1900s most families lived on farms while a smaller percentage lived in cities. As our modern society has changed, the opposite is now true.

People are genuinely concerned about the health of their families. Current trends show that more people are interested in organic food and are shunning pesticides due to their possible health effects. We have all heard about the importance of diet, yet we have all seem to be clueless when it comes to naturally healing our bodies. Perhaps if we reconnect with our Earth on a literal level we will discover much more than food, maybe an overall wellness which has been forgotten.

"Let food be thy medicine, and let thy medicine be food." Hippocrates

Statistics show us that most of our food comes to us from over 1,500 miles away. Looking at the rising gas prices, the rising prices of food, and possible interruptions due to storms or acts of terror - it’s doesn’t take much to make the connection on how that directly affects us. Most of us today use supermarkets as our pantry. What if there was an interruption of that “pantry”? What could we do? What if we were proactive and began to plan and pull upon that great inspiration within all of us? We all seem to buy insurance for our homes, cars and other possessions so creating a community garden as our food insurance may not be so out there. Americans have always prided themselves on independence.

All great things begin with an idea. Let’s see if this idea resonates with others and begins to move this idea into form. There is power in a community. It will be interesting to see how much power we ignite!

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