Fern Ridge Review
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
January 21, 2021
By Pat Edwards
I’m breathing many sighs of relief this week since the Presidential inauguration last Wednesday. I know that there is still a rough road ahead for all of us on both the pandemic and political fronts, but I felt a sense of “coming home” that day, and my heart swelled as I sat and watched the proceedings that took place Wednesday morning. I’ve never been a political person, but I’ve always felt a strong love, respect and patriotism for my country, regardless of who was at the helm… with one exception. I’d like to share the words that came to me.
Did I shed tears of happiness during today’s inauguration?… Yes I did.- Did I sing the National Anthem along with Lady Gaga?… You bet I did.
- Did I proudly recite the Pledge of Allegiance aloud, with my hand over my heart?… How could I not have? I always do. Definitely, yes.
- Did my heart swell with pride and gratitude when I sang along with J-Lo in a beautiful rendition of “This Land is Your Land; This Land is My Land?”… Oh, yes!
- Did a sense of relief, love and pride in my country explode within me as the Supreme Court Justices swore in President Joseph R. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris today, even though I’m a bit more conservative than liberal?… They sure did.
- Unfortunately, I missed Garth’s “Amazing Grace”… my favorite hymn… and Amanda Gorman’s recitation, but I was able to see them later and was deeply touched by both.
- I strongly believe and hope for the future of our democracy… that we—conservatives and liberals alike—now have a chance to join together and heal our wounds… together. I once again feel respected as an American.
That afternoon was the first time in a long time that I sat down and began to work on a book project that has been waiting for me to begin. It’s not my own book, but one of four that I have promised to do this spring for others. I can once again focus and feel confident that there is hope in our future again despite our continuing struggle against COVID-19 and the scars that remain from it and our disastrous 2020 overall.
I’m looking forward to being able to write about exciting and happy events occurring in our wonderful Lorane community in this column again—those events that allow us to gather together, hug and enjoy family and the friendships that have had to be put on hold for so long—as soon as we are able to receive the vaccine and the fight against the coronavirus begins to diminish. Our children and teachers will once again be able to return to actual in-school learning; we’ll be able to cheer on our favorite athletes and teams and attend plays and concerts and barbecues without masks or the worry of infecting someone else. Hopefully, I can report on another successful Lorane Community Potluck and Ice Cream Social this year… all good stuff.
I do want to take time this week to extend Jim’s and my condolences to the family of Betsy Denzer following her unexpected passing this past week. I hadn’t had the privilege of meeting Betsy, but I knew her to be the wonderful lady who hand-sewed the many colorful face masks that we carried in the store in 2020 during the pandemic. I understand that a Go-Fund-Me account has been set up to help with her funeral expenses and a Memorial Facebook page has been set up for condolences and memories that can be shared called “Memorial of Betsy Denzer” in lieu of an in-person memorial service. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family.
All Things Lorane 