Relative newcomer to Albion sees lots of positives in community

Editor:

While it is easy to be distracted by national politics, which are not unimportant conversations, I wanted to share a couple of recent local experiences that have increased my appreciation and love for Albion.

I recently attended a village meeting with several local business owners and village board members. I was encouraged to see a room full of people sharing concerns, solutions, ideas, and hopes in a respectful manner. I felt that the village leadership in attendance was receptive to those who shared and expressed a heartfelt desire to see our community thrive. We all know there are many challenges to building a strong, healthy community, but I was glad to see that there are many people working (often unseen) to make a difference.

As a relative newcomer to Albion (2022) from the North Carolina mountains, I am still adjusting to winter life here. That included getting my front-wheel drive car stuck in our driveway earlier this week when I didn’t clear the snow bank from the plows before leaving (lesson learned). My wife and I tried all kinds of “creative” solutions to freeing our car, which had bottomed out on the snow. When we ran out of ideas, our neighbor, Kolin, appeared with some kitty litter and a shovel. He saw us struggling from down the street and came to help.

Kolin, Rebekah, and I continued to try freeing the car, but to no avail. That’s when Donald appeared. We haven’t gotten to know each other well, but I see him working hard outside all the time around the village. As soon as he walked up, two DPW dump trucks parked on the other side of the street behind my car. Suddenly, several DPW workers, Donald, and Kolin literally lifted the back of my car and pushed it free!

That situation brought to mind the famous saying, “It takes a village.” I wanted to publicly thank my neighbors and those DPW guys who helped my family out without expecting anything in return. If we can all be those kind of neighbors to each other, I believe great things will happen in Albion.

Ben Curfman

Pastor of Canalside Community Church in Albion