LETTERS EDITOR TO THE
Thank you
The Bella Vista Garden Club would like to thank its supporters for a successful Fall Plant and Bulb Sale. Proceeds from the sale will go towards horticulture scholarships and beautification efforts in the city.
The sale featured the “Bella Vista” daffodil bulbs, a giveaway of approximately 150 packages of milkweed seeds to individuals interested in helping the monarch butterflies and a large variety of plants.
A huge thanks to Allen’s Discount Foods for hosting the sale. A special thanks to Village Wastewater Company, through their “Nature’s Calling” program, for providing continuous support to the Bella Vista Garden Club by allowing us to store plants on their premises and assisting us in nurturing them, and a big thank you to the many members of our club and those in our community who donated plants and bulbs from their own gardens providing the very foundation for our plant sales.
Mark your calendars now for our annual Spring Plant Sale Saturday, May 6, 2017, at Village Waste Water where you are sure to find beautiful plants at bargain prices.
Alycyn Culbertson
Plant Sale Chairman Bella Vista Garden Club
The silent nightmare
The evening of Oct. 2, I attended an annual Mental Health America vigil in support of mental health care for those who suffer from this silent nightmare.
The theme for this year’s event was “End the Stigma” surrounding mental illness. The speakers were generous with their moving and compelling stories representing perspectives from mental health professionals, educators, advocates, senior care providers, veterans’ peer counsellors, substance abuse consumers, and affected families — many of whom who have experienced profound loss.
Even with a master’s in behavioral psychology and four years of advocacy experience with the JEMI Coalition of Northwest Arkansas, I came away much better informed and even more motivated than ever to help solve a problem that has become a national disgrace. Everyone who spoke left me humbled by their strength and resolve.
Unfortunately, on the following evening I watched a video clip of a presidential candidate who apparently believes that military veterans who are affected by war and develop PTSD are weak. An unconscionable lie uttered by a supposedly “serious” (?) candidate for president of the United States — one in whom human compassion and genuine empathy appear totally lacking — chills me to the bone and scares me to death. Leaders are most effective when they lead by example. If this is an example of qualifications for leadership, we are in a world of hurt.
Our national decision in November will reflect our character. Someone once said that “our lives begin to end the moment we become silent about the things that matter.” It’s something to consider come Nov. 8.
Linda A Farrell Bella Vista
When in Rome
My grandparents moved to Bella Vista in 1977. My mother followed them here in 1978. I spent a couple of decades visiting and living here part time and finally made it my permanent home 12 years ago.
I was happy to get away from big cities, and I quickly adapted to the relaxed pace of Bella Vista. I was enamored with its charm and small-town atmosphere.
Some newcomers to Bella Vista want to bring the big city with them. They treat our roads like motor speedways, and they appear to perceive the rest of us as country bumpkins. They arrive, take one look around and decide what needs to change.
These same folks, when visiting Rome, would probably take one look at the Colosseum and comment on how old and rundown it looks. They’d want to tear it down and build a modern structure. “This will increase property values,” they would say.
To these folks I say, relax. Look around at the natural beauty of Bella Vista. Take your foot off the accelerator and learn a bit of humility. If you feel the need to sit in traffic all day, just drive a few miles south to Rogers.
When in Rome, do as the Romans.
I’m voting NO on the assessment increase.
Kevin Dooley Bella Vista