EudoraNews.com

There are lots of topics I could write about this week so this column truly will be bits and pieces.

One topic that gets kicked around a lot in talk shows, private conversations and scholarly newspaper editorials is the war.

A comic in Last Sunday's Lawrence Journal-World was interesting. It featured the penguin in the strip "Opus" expressing his confusion to his buddy about the war, "The war on drugs" he asks or "the war on traditional marriage?" but "Oh, Oh, Oh," (he eventually exclaims) you mean "the war in Iraq," which seems to convey the general attitude about the war these days.

The recent Time magazine includes an excerpt from the book "Blood Brothers" written by Michael Weisskopf, who as a reporter in Iraq threw a grenade from a humvee he was riding, which saved the lives of those with him and blew off his right arm. His book is a testimony to all those young men and women who are coming back from Iraq with their lives, but maimed in body, mind and spirit.

And we are not hearing about them. How many are there now? What is their future, and how is our government reaching out to them and their families? Most news from Iraq is only about the insurgents and terrorists who have taken over areas of Iraq. And then, of course, we hear differing views from the military hierarchy who are or who have been involved.

All of which leaves most of us with questions. It seems to me this should be the main topic of these next years leading up to the election. Shouldn't it be "It's the war, stupid! It's the war!" instead of the so-called "hot button" issues that seem to drive elections these days and only tend to polarize our country even more than it is now.

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  Another topic that was mentioned recently in The Eudora News concerns the citizen's advisory committee, which is to advise the school administration and the Eudora USD 491 Board of Education on what should be included in the upcoming bond issue.

Including other voices into the mix is a wise decision on the part of the administration and the board as well as an educational tool for them to spread the word of their intentions into the community. And speaking of adding voices, I am adding mine right now and the words are "green space, green space, green space" -- in reference to the future of Laws Field. At risk of inviting criticism for a biased opinion, I think that selling Laws Field for commercial or residential development would be the loss of yet another opportunity to insert into our community much needed space for parks and centers of recreation for our young people. It also seems to me that area is already constricted with traffic and will be even more so when another residential development to the south and west will soon be added. How much more traffic can that block of Elm Street handle and how much more traffic should surround Nottingham Elementary School?

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  Recently, while visiting with Michelle Miller who is the aunt of Beth Durkin (daughter of Don and Monica Durkin) who is now with the Peace Corps in Mongolia, Michelle gave me copies of Beth's e-mails to read, and I have been amused and amazed by Beth's adventures. Already a world traveler, Beth has committed to the Peace Corps for two more years and after living for a time with a host family she now has her own small house.

Reading her e-mails, which read like a novel, has been a fascinating experience and I look forward to reading even more.

By the time she returns to the states, she should have enough notes to publish a book, which I hope she does.

As a community, we certainly can be proud of this young woman who sets off bravely into an unknown country and culture to be representative of our country and to enrich the lives of others in a far away land. Referring to some of the difficulty of fitting into a new family and a new culture Beth says, "Every time I get nervous about social situations or doing something new here I just try to have courage. Courage is not a fixed personality trail. No one can be courageous all of the time -- I think that it is molded and shaped by our experiences, and it continues to build over time."

We are in awe of your courage, Beth.

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  As I write this I am watching my neighbors, Eva Belle and Carrol Gerstenberger move from their beloved white house on the hill on Winchester Road. According to Eva Belle it was time for them to give up their large house, which has stood there for many years -- certainly as long and longer than I have been in Eudora, which is now more than 30 years.

She and Carroll are moving into one of the residential centers close to the Eudora Nursing Center in the eventuality that they may one day require their services.

I am sad to see them go. They are good neighbors. I now wonder what will happen to their lovely property and, of course, my view of these fabulous sunsets I have been enjoying lately.

However, everything changes as this fall season so beautifully reminds us each year.

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