I am writing in regards to the commentary written by Clay Shannon. I am the person who was interviewed and quoted in the Press Democrat article that so offended him. First of all, you have to realize that the reporter from the Press Democrat had an agenda before he even chose to interview my husband and I. The article was meant to embellish the study naming Lake County as one of the top 20 hardest-hit counties in the United States. Therefore, you can imagine that our 10- to 15- minute interview was construed in a way to fit the article they had already planned to write.
We own our house outright. My husband”s “meager” income is well above the median income for Healdsburg, let alone Lake County. Our oldest son attends a private, Christian school. These were not questions that were asked of us. Obviously, it would not have worked for their article. Our budget at the dollar store was not $6. I made a comment about how great it was to be able to go to the dollar store and spend $6 on my son”s Valentine party for his class.
My husband”s hours at work have been cut back, because, like it or not, even the hospital is affected by the economy. I was saying we were blessed because we have only had to make small cuts on extras, when so many have not been so blessed and have had to cut back on necessities.
But I digress from my point. Clay, you are right; Lake County is a wonderful place to live. It is so often bad-mouthed and not nearly enough recognized for the many positive aspects it has to offer.
This period of economic hardship provides us with the perfect reason to take a step back and be truly thankful for what we are given and to really take stock of what is important in life. It is also important to be able to recognize that there are many people who are not so fortunate, and it is our job as part of this community to worry less about how we “appear” and take action to help those who are in need. In Matthew, Jesus says whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.
In conclusion, it is my personal goal to spend more time being thankful and more time being aware of the needs of this community and doing what I can to help better this place where we love to live! God Bless.
Brandi Noonkester
Lakeport
