We are an island of volunteers. If you moved here recently, you have probably been approached to serve on several different committees. If you have lived here for awhile you probably represented one of the committees that approached the newcomer. Just look around. There are a multitude of service organizations including some very impressive buildings that were made possible by people, not tax dollars, who donated generously with their time and money. What is more, these are people who feel deeply about the organizations that they work to build and maintain. If you don't think that they care deeply, pay attention to the intensity of the sometimes conflicting feelings at their meetings. We come through all that, perhaps with our egos trampled upon a bit, but the institutions survive and prosper.

I'm not talking about just the big volunteer jobs. There are also the countless ways that neighbors depend on each other every day. We know when someone is sick or going through a rough time. We rally around when there is a loss in the family. What a great place to grow old when neighbors stop by just to see how you are doing, invite you to dinner when you are really tired of your own cooking or provide you with transportation when you can no longer drive. These are the small things that make a community special.

This is such a refreshing change from some of the places that we came from. Remember the local government agencies that were supposed to take care of so many things and often did so poorly. Somehow we lose something when we depend too heavily on the government. How very much better to live in a place were we depend primarily on each other.