Desert Messenger

6 www.DesertMessenger.com December 20, 2023 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 NOW PUBLISHED ONCE/MONTH on the 3rd Wednesday of each month OWNER/EDITOR/PUBLISHER GRAPHIC DESIGN/ AP AR MARKETING EXECUTIVE/CLASSIFIEDS Shanana "Rain" Golden-Bear CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Starr BearCat NAME PLATE DESIGN Paul Winer www.DesertMessenger.com www.DesertMessengerOnline.com E-mail: Editor@DesertMessenger.com 2023-24 © 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 QUARTZSITE ROCKS! EDITORIAL 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 community, 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 Letters considered libelous, in poor taste, on a personal issue, mean spirited or dominated by Scripture quotes will not be published.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 location of park/BLM land, etc. Street addresses will not be published. Phone numbers are for verification only and will not be printed. Send letters to: Desert Messenger, P.O. Box 3185, Quartzsite, AZ 85359 or E-mail to: Editor@DesertMessenger.com 928-916-4235 Desert Messenger News celebrates 20 th year anniversary Quartzsite, AZ – Shanana Rain Golden-Bear, Publisher of Desert Messenger News, announced at the monthly Ladies Luncheon on Tues- day, August 1st that she will be re- tiring the print edition of the com- munity paper in May, 2024. She explained when she took over the 4-year old paper in 2008, she com- mitted to publishing the paper for only four more years. She said, "The number four is very sacred to me. Those four years went by, and I made commitment to an- other four years. Those four years went by again and another commit- ment was made. This year will be the completion of my fourth 4-year commitment and also happens to be the 20th anniversary!" The paper was founded in 2004 by Walt Akin, a plumber and Quartzsite Town council member, who later was appointed Mayor. The newspaper industry has faced signifi cant challenges in recent years due to the rise in printing costs, de- clines in print advertising and read- ers adopting digital news sources. In 2008, when Golden-Bear acquired the paper, it was only 12 pages, and there were a total of three Quartzsite papers available. Also back then, both the Blythe and Parker weekly news- papers actually covered Quartzsite news, but they cut back local cover- age many years ago. Golden-Bear said plans are in the works for readers to be able to ac- cess 20 years of past editions online at www.DesertMessenger.com. "I'm excited to share the past 20 years of Quartzsite history from the eyes of a small town publisher. I am open to possibilities and look forward to what the universe has in store for me!" Be sure to check out the online ed- itoins for expanded editions of 20 years of Quartzsite History! Keep up to date by LIKING Desert Messenger News Facebook page. "May the joy of the season smile upon you... with some giggles, too!" ~Rain Happy Christmahannukwanzadan! I think that covers everybody! Win- ter Solstice is Thursday, December 21st. Christmas and the New Year are just around the corner! During my Poi Classes, we giggle a lot, as we swing poi (socks with rice for weights) in sync to good 'ol Rock & Roll music. Giggling just cheers me up and I feel better. There's a lot of medical research that supports the fact that laughter releases endorphins that can help reduce pain, boost im- munity, improve memory, strengthen the heart and lessen anxiety. We are surrounded by negativity, fear-based articles in local tabloids using trigger phrases, and are con- stantly told how scary our world is. Like: follow the money, don't believe them, we're right, they're wrong, they're out to get us, ad in- fi nitum... But according to Ros Ben-Moshe, who is an actual laughter therapist and founder of Laugh Life well-be- ing programs, "Laughter is an amaz- ing healer - one of those magical inner resources that enhances our mental, social, emotional, physical and even spiritual well-being." You're probably thinking, oh, there she goes again... on another happy tangent. Well, it's that time of year some folks work hard just to enjoy giving to others. I've often been ac- cused of not living in reality when I focus on being positive. Well, heck, that's like telling someone enjoying a peaceful walk in the woods there's bad news on television, so they should be all upset. Is it because folks want others to feel bad, too? Well, I've had enough of that nega- tivity to last a lifetime, so I'm choos- ing to do things differently. Religions all around the world teach us to show love to all you meet; to forgive others for any harm caused; and to love one another. What if we make some goals for the future year: Let us accept each other for who they are, celebrate our differences, enjoy learning about different cultures, treat each other as we would want to be treated, be grateful for every day we're alive, reach out to those in need-no matter what they look like, love life, make mistakes - for that means we're do- ing something new, treat each other with kindness, bring the Best of who we are wherever we go, forgive those who've caused us harm, share our abundance with others (even if it's just a smile), show kindness, and bring peace to the world. Here's a big smile wishing you and your loved ones a grateful holiday season.

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