Desert Messenger

6 www.DesertMessenger.com April 1, 2020 DESERT MESSENGER Quartzsite's FREE Community Paper Proud to be a Quartzsite Licensed Business 928-916-4235 O� T��� - E���� T���! Founded by Walt Akin October 1, 2004 P�������� �� P���� R��� P��������� C�. P.O. Box 3185 Quartzsite, AZ 85359 P�������� ����� � ����� 1st & 3rd Wednesday Sept. thru May with Special Summer Editions June, July & August EDITOR/PUBLISHER Shanana "Rain" Golden-Bear CONTRIBUTING JOURNALIST Jackie Deal GUEST COLUMNIST Gypsy Jane Finley CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Starr BearCat NAME PLATE LETTERING Paul Winer www.DesertMessenger.com www.MyQuartzsite.com E-mail: Editor@DesertMessenger.com 2018 © Copyright All Rights Reserved Copyright 2013 Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Desert Messenger. LIKE US on Facebook.com/ DesertMessengerNews FOLLOW US on Twitter @QuartzsiteRain By Shanana "Rain" Golden-Bear LETTERS TO EDITOR POLICY Desert Messenger encourages letters from its readers. Letters should be no longer than 300 words, and may be edited for grammar, content and length. OPINIONS EXPRESSED HEREIN DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THOSE OF THE DESERT MESSENGER. We invite you to not only see a problem, but search for the solution to share with the com- munity, keeping the benefit of all in mind. Letters considered libelous, in poor taste, on a personal issue, mean spirited or dominated by Scripture quotes will not be published. Third party letters will not be accepted. To avoid confusion over people with common or similar names, writers must provide a full name and indicate the name they are known by. Writers must provide a full street address and phone number. Rvers can provide the loca- tion of park/BLM land, etc. Street addresses will not be published. Phone numbers are for verification only and will not be printed. Mail letters to: Desert Messenger, P.O. Box 3185, Quartzsite, AZ 85359 or E-mail to Editor@DesertMessenger.com 928-916-4235 DEADLINE : WED. APRIL 8 TH for the April 15 TH edition Desert Messenger News Email: editor@DesertMessenger.com 928-916-4235 www.DesertMessenger.com A grateful letter to the Food Bank As I'm more or less a hermit, lacking TV, radio, or Internet ac- cess, and thus not quite aware what was happening in the world, I was in shock when I went to the store to buy food as usual and discovered none was to be had. The shelves having been wiped clean due to people hoarding food in the panic over the coronavirus. I guess it's just human business as usual. Some people hording to ensure their survival, not caring whether others starve and die. This scare has brought out the worst in some people, and may be the best in others, like the people at the food bank. After being unable to procure the most basic, non-perishable food through normal sources – no beans, no canned goods, no lentils, no brown rice, no apples, no oranges, no potatoes, no onions, no eggs – someone said, "Go to the food bank. They're still open and they're still willing to do whatever they can to help people." And they did help me. I received potatoes, apples, oranges, eggs, brown rice, lentils and some canned fruit and vegetables. I would like to thank the food bank for being there! I'm extremely grateful. God bless you. Christina Howe Quartzsite. Opinions expressed in letters to the editor do not necessarily represent those of the Desert Messenger. letters to the editor "All things share the same breath - the beast, the tree, the man. The air shares its spirit with all the life it supports." ~Chief Seattle All my relations, Have you noticed how this virus has shown how much human beings are connected? So yes, we are all related, even if we don't know each other. This virus knows no borders, no skin color, no religion, no political persuasion; it does not judge you! Mitakuye Oyasin is a phrase from the Lakota language. It refl ects the world view of interconnectedness held by the Lakota people of North America. It means that all living things are connected to each other and to the creator. It means I can- not live without you and you cannot live without me. What you do af- fects me and what I do affects you. I know this deep in my heart espe- cially in this editorial I write. When used in prayer, Mitakuye Oyasin is a petition to the Creator on behalf of everyone and every- thing on Earth. As some Navajo people say: "We are related because we share the same breath. We are related because we are from the same place. We are related because we are. What is, is." All religions teach us to look af- ter each other. I get discouraged sometimes when I witness people bullying each other on social media threads. Have we forgotten that our words come from our breath? Take note, that this virus affects the lungs, the very source of how we breathe. The word used for breath- ing in is "inspiration," which is the main function of the lung, both physically and spiritually. Imag- ine if we were to inspire each other during this unnerving time? Think about it... Last week, I woke with concerns for the work I do and not being able to keep this paper moving forward. I reduced the pages to lower the cost. I reached out to folks and thank- fully, I now can thank the donors: Anita Carlson, Lyle Race, Maggie & Gene Ross, Debbie Harris, Bill & Marie Murphy, Jen & Ken Pre- sentations, Charlene Swankie, Dale Prohaska I expecially thank all the advertis- ers who chose to keep their ads go- ing even while closed for business. When we realize how interconnect- ed we all are to each other, we will come through this even stronger! "In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations." - Iroquois Maxim (circa 1700-1800)

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