I know I'm not alone in being glad that 2020 was over and looked forward to 2021. Now, I'm not sure that 2021 is going to go off better than in 2020, maybe worse.

Locally, it has not been a good year. The first week has had more bad news than most years contain. It has made me appreciate our local law enforcement, our first responders, EMT's, fire department, our dispatchers and anyone else I may have not mentioned. The jobs that these folks do I never even considered exactly what that entailed. I saw accidents alongside the road, some were bad ones but I never considered who had to deal with the worst parts of those. I knew "the police" or "the ambulance" responded but I had never, for some reason put a face to the titles. Of course, I didn't know many police officers or others in the profession or I never talked to them about their jobs. Probably because I know just hearing what they deal with would send shivers up my spine.

It used to be when I saw an ambulance because I'd ridden in one a couple of times, I'd pray for the passenger in the back. Now my prayers include the ones taking the calls and responding as well.

I'd guess that for the most part, we all assume that cops are out there just waiting for us to run stop signs and speed so that they can nab us. I'd guess that's the easy part of their job. If I were honest I'd say I only come to a complete stop at stop signs AND use my blinker when I spot a cop car. Come on now, surely I'm not the only one. Yes, I DO know the rules of the road, but I spend too much time thinking while driving to pay attention to the speedometer and other detail, like blinkers and complete stops. I DO watch for pedestrians and other cars, but I'm bad about the rest of it. However, when I spot a cop car out there in the middle of the night, it makes me feel good to know that they are there. I hope that when any of us growl at you for getting stopped, you know what we mean is, "I was in a hurry, and I know that you're right, but shucks, I wish you wouldn't have caught me, and yes I'm being an idiot."

The last few years have not been good to our officers across the country. Never is there enough pats on the back and thank yous headed in their directions for the millions of things that they do.

They often respond if there is an emergency of any kind to lend a hand before, during and until everyone else is gone. Our Ambulance crews are called at any time, day or night and fly into action to deal with any sort of crisis. They see and do things that I know I couldn't do. Our dispatchers respond to anything from trespassers to the worst of the worst type of calls and they never know which it will be when they answer the calls.

The officers inside our jail get to deal with the ones that society has deemed bad enough to be removed from the streets. So you know they have the pleasant folks to deal with, every day while making our lives safer on the outside.

On weeks like this, we know you are "just doing your job," and I just wanted to take a minute to acknowledge the job you do and thank you for it.

For those dealing with the losses in this short week, our hearts go out to you as well. It definitely is not the way to begin a new year.

We could get into things happening in our nation's Capitol, but I like to think we are all on the same page in Vinton. We might disagree politically, but we still love and appreciate each other. We look out for each other. Sure, some of us are a little wacky, but that's what makes the world go around, and life more interesting.

So as we continue on in 2021, let's all hope and pray for a much better "next week," every week throughout the end of this new year.

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RK January 7, 2021, 3:33 pm Nice editorial. It feels good to be appreciated.
JS January 8, 2021, 6:52 pm Also give a shout out to the only 1% who qualify for our armed forces. Yee Gods only 1%. What has happened to us? More than 58 years ago I raised my right hand and pledged allegiance to not only the Constitution but also for the Country that stands for freedom and liberty. I am approaching my 80th birthday. In the five years I served in Strategic Air command We were able to stand against the Communist Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in preventing a nuclear first strike against us. It now seems that my efforts and my risk of life has not suppressed the lefts leaning to that philosophy - Marxist/Communism. The Constitution of the Nation is our only guarantee of preventing a government overtake of the first 12 amendments to our Constitution. Democrats can't guarantee nor can Republicans guarantee this to be our reward. It is the working man/woman who have been schooled in the wonderment of this document. I am not encouraged that our K-12 adequately teach the doctrines that I hold dear. I am approaching my 80th year on this planet and I must admit my dauber is down. Our youth is not taught why our Country is good. We have defended liberty on foreign soil without owning any land other than for our dead. I will continue to defend liberty and the Constitution until my last breath.
JS January 9, 2021, 2:24 pm Nice article and it so true I really appreciate all the people that do their jobs to protect us.
NG January 11, 2021, 3:42 am I wonder if the thugs that invaded the Capital building last Wednesday thought they had the freedom and liberty to kill that policeman and to try to hunt down Nancy Pelosi so they could kill her and to hunt for Vice President Pence so they could hang him. President trump's comment to an adviser was they looked "low class" and that reflected back on him. What has happened to our country that one party would put a man like this in office and then vote for him a second time? I have great hope for the rest of 2021 if we can get this pandemic under control.

Norma Gould
GB January 24, 2021, 8:54 am Norma, you are correct in describing "thugs" in the Capital. Yet not all were. The vast majority were peaceful protesters and a few "thugs" infiltrated the protest. Some of those "thugs" were also agitators from the left. Please do not leave that fact out. Google it, watch the news (other than CNN) and it should be fairly simple and easy to find where BLM and Antifa were also present. It is beyond understanding how radicals who are filled with so much hate for one man and the Republican Party will be so fast to publicly trash them and yet largely remain as quiet as a church mouse all summer when it was groups like BLM and Antifa burning cities across the country night after night. Let's not forget that type of disgusting behavior is still occurring in Portland every night. So if you truly want to bring both sides together, call it what it is on both sides. Do not pick and choose depending on what side is involved. Storming the Capital was disgusting and burning down cities all summer was also unacceptable behavior.