Keeping
The Spirit Of Valley East Alive Will Only Happen If We All Share In The
Work As Well As The Benefits
Now Is Our Opportunity To Demonstrate How Much We Really Want Keep This
Community Alive......
I always love when September comes around. It is time for a new
beginning. It’s a time when you can throw away the problems of the past
and start all over again, with a fresh slate. This year is even more
special because it is the Centennial Year of Valley East. That means that
we can all get a little boost of energy as we make our New Centennial
Resolutions. And one of the resolutions I think we should all make is to
go out of our way to share in the workload of making this great community
of Valley East even better.
For as long as I can remember, we have counted on volunteers to
organize special events and fund-raisers so that money could be donated
for a wide variety of community activities and ventures. However, in
recent years, I have discovered that the number of volunteers actually
willing to do the work is diminishing, while the number of people who have
their "hands out in search of their share of the pie" has
increased. This is not good - and it must change, or we will soon find
that the hard-working volunteers and charitable organizations will follow
the example of the Little Red Hen in the story that follows. It is one of
my favourites, and I think that this is the perfect time for me to share
it with you again. As you are reading it, think of the volunteers who work
so hard to organize special events like the Valley East Days Parade and
the Valley East Fun Day. Think of how they feel, if after doing so much to
organize these events, the people for whom they are doing the work fail to
show their support and attend the functions or to help out in a small way
by purchasing tickets and making donations. Think about what Valley East
and Capreol would be like if all of the Little Red Hens in the community
finally said, "Enough is enough. It’s time to stop."
THE LITTLE RED HEN
One day a little red hen scratched about in the
barnyard until she gathered some grains of wheat. She called her
neighbours and said, "If we plant this wheat, we shall have bread to
eat. Who will help me plant?"
"Not I," said the cow.
"Not I," said the duck.
"Not I," said the pig.
"Not I," said the goose.
"Then I will," said the little red hen. And
she did. The wheat grew tall and ripened into golden grain.
"Who will help me reap my wheat?" asked the
little red hen.
"Not I," said the duck. "I have other
plans."
"I’d have to leave my comfortable pen,"
said the pig.
"I have to watch not to hurt my back," said
the cow.
"I don’t want to ruffle my freshly cleaned
feathers," said the goose.
"Then I will," said the little red hen, and
she did.
At last it was time to bake the bread. "Who will
help me bake the bread?" asked the little red hen.
"That would be overtime for me," said the
duck.
"I’m waiting for a friend to come over,"
said the pig.
"I never learned how when I was in school,"
said the cow.
"I think I will wait for something better to come
along," said the goose.
"Then I will," said the little red hen. She
baked five loaves and held them up for her neighbours to see.
They all wanted some, and in fact, even demanded a
share. But the little red hen said, "No. I can eat the five loaves
myself."
"You have more than you need," said the duck.
"You are being greedy," said the pig.
"How can you let us go hungry when you have so
much," said the cow.
"You don’t care about your neighbours,"
said the goose.
And they painted "unfair" picket signs and
marched around and around the little red hen, shouting obscenities.
When the farmer showed up, he said to the little red
hen, "You mustn’t be greedy."
"But I earned the bread," said the little red
hen.
"Exactly," said the farmer. "That’s
the wonderful free enterprise system. Anyone in the barnyard can earn as
much as he wants. But in our modern system, the productive workers must
divide their profits with the idle."
And so the little red hen took her share - one loaf of
bread - and went back home.
The duck, the pig, the cow and the goose all took one
loaf of bread as their share and they too went on their way home to enjoy
the fresh feast.
And they lived happily ever after, including the little
red hen, who smiled and chuckled, "I am so grateful to live in a
country which will look after me. I am so grateful."
But her neighbours wondered why she never baked any
more bread.
Let’s show our volunteers and community groups that we care. Support
their activities and search for ways to help out whenever you can. They’re
doing it for you!
