The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.

Sounds Like A Big Deal?......It Is!

by Dessa Rodeffer, Quill Publisher/Owner

23 July 2003

Some people can't see the forest for the trees and I am sure it is like that in any community. Sometimes it even happens to you and to me.

We just can't see the real beauty in people for remembering little incidents about them you didn't like.

Or we had a bad experience and it ruined our seeing any good in a place or an event.

Maybe we are so busy looking for what irritates us or what "gets our goat" that we are robbed of all joy.

Sometimes, we hold grudges, are jealous, or someone just hurts our feelings. If it goes on long enough, we will miss out on the pleasures life offers.

I think of it as tunnel vision. We only see what we focus on and block out all the rest.

I like when people commend others for their accomplishments and encourage them rather than find fault with some little thing that didn't quite suit them.

Take a minute to thank those who work so hard to create a fun or worthwhile event.

The most recent endeavor is the Henderson County Fair in Stronghurst, the Fourth of July Celebrations in Raritan and Oquawka, and the La Harpe Summerfest going on now.

This weekend is The ACS Henderson County Relay for Life at Union High School and next week is The Fred Gibb Memorial Car Show in La Harpe.

Now you can sit in your homes and say, big deal, a car with four wheels, it reached top speeds in the 1970s., it made money, so what. Is that so important in the big scheme of life?

Ya-da, ya-da, ya-da. Did it save a dying child's life or comfort an aging mother in a nursing home?

No, it may not have been a Nobel prize winning event as discovering Penicillin, but it may distract a grieving husband, a lonely child, or even a cancer patient from the situation they are in and bring them some joy.

We can't be spending all our time around death-and dying affairs without turning life into a morbid affair.

In my way of thinking, car shows, county fairs, sporting events, church picnics, class reunions all do something a TV or radio can not. It brings people together. They can share, talk, and enjoy life, whether in a wheel chair, or escaping from a million problems at home.

In regards to the car show, the desire for better and faster cars rather than just a vehicle to get you from point A to point B, stimulated the improvement of automobiles so we now can get to the hospital faster and safer.

The Relay for Life event is the best event yet for creating an atmosphere of true support for those who have suffered from cancer.

It's an opportunity to show our concern for others as a community. I am so thankful that I can be a part of this great fund-raiser.

Doctors and dentists that either golf, enjoy sporting events or a good play, and wives who take up art, music, or enjoy an outing are more refreshed for the task they have at home. It's an outlet and something the doctor usually orders for us. It is good for our dispositions.

One thing I would like to stress about the Fred Gibb Memorial Car Show, is that the success which Fred Gibb had is being proven every year of the car show. It is attracting people from around the world who salute this man they have never met but only read about.

I am wondering if those of us who knew Fred, just take that all for granted. I am wondering if people who grew up with Abraham Lincoln, Elvis Presley, Helen Steiner Rice, Michael Jordan, or Christopher Columbus ever really thought they were any big deal.

I read that Bill Cosby's mother wished he would quit kidding around and do something useful with his life. I think most of us fail to see the greatness in our neighbors, children, and friends.

We probably think we know them and they are no big deal. We see them as ordinary people with a few habits we don't like.

But I am here to tell you to look around you - give praise - there are some ordinary people in our midst with a lot of talent that they don't even see.

Pat them on the back - encourage them on. Let them know you see greatness.