Thirty Weeks

Redwood Times

A Pastor’s Perspective

By Sharon Latour

I cannot believe I’ve been writing this column for thirty weeks. The thing that has come to mind to write this week is to simply say “Thank You.”

I am grateful to wake up living in Southern Humboldt every morning, grateful to know I live in a small, rural area. I am grateful to experience people who know each other ... pretty well! But, I am aware there is also a “shadow side” to this; another way of viewing what I am calling blessing.

Southern Humboldt is removed from the rest of the world; we often feel out-of-contact and treated as an afterthought by folks in the cities up north. Being small means things can cost more because, being smaller in number, we can’t offer “volume buying” to our local merchants that can keep our costs down. And we don’t want and won’t attract the “big box” stores.

And I can’t imagine what a challenge it is to know everyone in town knows “all your business.” A young person knows every adult their parent’s age knows all about their parents and about them, too! I guess it can feel pretty stifling at times.

My perspective

is a little different. I grew up in Goleta, just north of Santa Barbara, when things were still very affordable there. Our motto was: “Santa Barbara, the place for the newly wed and the nearly dead.” We were pretty bored. It was so perfect every day, living right on the ocean. Nothing much ever happened there. We all wanted to move to San Francisco or Oregon.

Sound familiar? It’s funny to me, now, of course. Nowadays, the smallest ramshackle place in Santa Barbara county goes for a million dollars. Or thereabout. But you know what’s great? We have everything right here in SoHum that I thought I would never find again!

They say beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Maybe that’s what’s going on for me. I cannot believe I get to look out on nothing but trees for miles, every morning. And if I miss the ocean, I drive 45 minutes (ok, I’ve got it down to 35 minutes) to Shelter Cove. And the rivers! It is amazing here.

And I’m aware there are the challenges of having everybody know everything you do by living in a small, rural community. But I would rather have people caring about what I do and say than going unnoticed for weeks if I am suddenly out-of-sight and in need of help. After two days, the phone starts to ring. I live in a small town, again!

So thank you for welcoming this newcomer. And while we’re at it, if you would like to see some topic or issue discussed in this column, please let me know. This would be a great time to receive feedback from you. The P.O. Box address is below.

And please, remember to notice where you get to live your day today.

Shalom!

(And a special note for the Friday Night Youth High Schoolers and Volunteers: We’ll be watching “Juno” this Friday at 6 p.m. at the Community Presbyterian Church in Garberville.)

Sharon is pastor of the Garberville Community Presbyterian Church. Services are open to all on Sundays at 11 am. Comments or questions should be addressed to: Dr. Sharon Latour, c/o A Pastor’s Perspective, P.O. Box 65, Garberville, CA 95542. (707) 923-3295.