Dear Santa Claus...I hope that you are well rested and ready for your trek across the world. I’ve never been big on “needing things” in life, but this year is a little different, and my wish list, to me, doesn’t seem to be to “needy,” so here is my wish list for the holiday season, in MY little bubble of the world: 1. Bring resolve to the struggles of world peace, and political division and help make little Clay County Nebraska a much better place to live...although it’s a pretty awesome place to call home the people of my home county are pretty darn awesome, and if you take a look at our fair county, which maybe you have, you’ll feel the same about “my county,” as I do; 2. Bring some resolve to the almost five months or direction to damages to the Sutton downtown business district, damaged by the July 29, EF-1 tornado that left our building, at least nine-10 other businesses, and several homes, and areas in despare. It’s been a tough run for the Sutton community, not just business owners, but our golf course was hit hard, and is still “getting by,” and several homes were damaged to the point there are a few families that are still displaced from their home(s); 3. Sutton is not the only community that has taken a hit, keep an eye out for our friends and neighbors in Clay Center, as their business district also took a hard hit this fall, with a building collapse that has left a portion of the north side of Clay Center’s courthouse square shut down; 4. Embrace and support the Sutton Community Home, and Community Home Foundation on their upcoming fundraising efforts to refresh, renew, and revive an effort to continue to give our community and county with continued senior care. I feel that senior care is such a big need, thus the reason I’ve volunteered a lot of time to support the Community Home’s efforts in one way or another for over 10 years, serving either on the Community Home board, and now the foundations efforts to bring to a reality, a renewed and vastly improved living center for those that need an extra hand; 5. To support those who step up every day to lead, teach, support, and guide our youth, young leaders within all of our communities to help drive each of our communities, school districts, and neighborhoods forward in a positive way, to think not about themselves, but about their neighbors, their communities and Clay County as a whole. People don’t at times take the time to understand and realize what it takes to be “the glue” of a community and put on community events, to plan fundraisers, no matter how big, or small the events may be. I’m so thankful that each of our communities has those types of leaders and people that are willing to take time away from their own families to give back to their hometown, and even Clay County as a whole; 6. Thank, and encourage the Sandy Creek Cougar football team for their unreal run this year (and last year) for an amazing experience. Whether those kids on the team, and the coaches realize it or not, they have been like a “glue gun” bringing Cougar Nation together during each of the past two seasons. But more than just the current kids and coaches making up the Cougars football team, I hope that the players over the course of the past five years realize and understand that they are equally as involved with the “transformation of Cougar football,” because they are. It had to start somewhere, and all of these kids that have been on Sandy Creek’s football team turn around since 2019 have an equal hand in where this program is at today.
Thank you for considering my Christmas Wishes this holiday season, and may you have safe travels as you and the reindeer blaze a trail around the world. Maybe, just maybe, you can spend a little extra time in Clay County Nebraska this year and leave a special mark on our families and communities.
Merry Christmas.
