Desert Messenger

DESERT MESSENGER Quartzsite's FREE Community Paper Proud to be a Quartzsite Licensed Business 928-916-4235 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 Joanne Winer GUEST COLUMNIST Louise Rouse GUEST COLUMNIST Jedidiah Free GUEST COLUMNIST The late Rosalee O Wheeler GUEST COLUMNIST Violet Kiss CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Starr BearCat NAME PLATE LETTERING Paul Winer www.DesertMessenger.com www.MyQuartzsite.com E-mail: Editor@DesertMessenger.com Copyright 2013 Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Desert Messenger. LIKE US on Facebook.com/ DesertMessengerNews FOLLOW US on Twitter @QuartzsiteRain Copyright 2014 6 www.DesertMessenger.com February 5, 2014 By Shanana "Rain" Golden-Bear OPINION At age 64, Diana Nyad recently became the fi rst person to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage. To reach her goal, Diana would have to overcome physical, emotional and mental barriers. Her mantra for her fi fth attempt was to ''fi nd a way''-- and fi nd a way she did! Hundreds of people greeted her on the Key West beach Monday, September 2, 2013, after her 53-hour swim. Millions around the world have been inspired by the interviews she has given since. I have been inspired by Diana and many others in my life who never gave up. As I struggled with fi nishing this edition and feeling the loss of a beautiful woman who touched so many in our community, I kept hearing the phrase, "Find a way, fi nd a way!" We all have pain and suffering in our lives, and if we just fi gure out a way to make it until the next 1/2 hour or 90 minutes, amazing things happen. Each moment turns into a hour of fi nding a way! "Find a way!" ~ Diane Nyad 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 Letters considered libelous, in poor taste, on a personal issue, mean spirited or dominated by Scripture quotes will not be published.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 The Smoke Shop Summer Residents & Visitors Thanks for Your Continued Support! Winter Residents & Visitors Your Support is Appreciated! NEW Hours - Oct. 1 st - April 30 th Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 6:00 pm Saturday 9:00 am - 4:00 pm Sunday Closed 208-290-5102 Honey Do Lists? Builder with 35 years experience in satisfied customers! High quality workmanship Small to Large Projects Call Rich! not a licensed contractor So often we hear our leaders say, "We can't do that!" Or "You can't do that!" I say we all should totally delete the word "can't" from our vocabulary. In public, as well as when we're quiet and still, alone with our thoughts. When we change our thoughts, the way we look at life changes. We can accomplish much more than we thought we could, but we have to be willing to think differently. And if Quartzsite is to adjust to the changing times we're in, we must fi nd a creative solution to the issues facing our community right now. They are not going away. We must face our challenges head on and even welcome the opinions and suggestions of oth- ers. Each of us brings a different per- spective to a situation. When offi cials and Town administration welcome suggestions, more people will be will- ing to participate in government. Quartzsite just experienced an amaz- ing infl ux of visitors during the large shows and RV Rallies. Every year, the season changes, and with it come op- portunities to learn from the previous experiences. Visitors fl ocked to our little town en- joying the beautiful weather, meeting up with old friends, and meeting new friends, fi nding lots of deals, and hav- ing fun with all the happenings around town. Quirky little Quartzsite succeed- ed in hosting the largest gathering of RVers again, with the help of countless generous volunteers. I met a vendor who is retiring after spending 43 years coming to the QIA Gem & Mineral Show. He wants his son to continue the family tradition, but told me, he will have to wait and see. A client reminded me that when one RV Resort opened 30 years ago, buyers had to be 55 years or older to own a parcel. Folks who bought lots back then are now well over 85 years old. Needless to say some have trav- eled on to the big RV in the sky. Lifestyles have changed in the past 30 years and Quartzsite is no differ- ent. To be stuck in the past is useless when we could choose move forward and go with the fl ow. Remember, we have the choice to be happy or be sad, angry or loving. Diana said, ''All those factors out there [in life], you can't control them, but you have to have intelligent answers to them, you have to have solutions.'' Let's eliminate the words "can't" from our vocabulary and replace it with, "Find a way!" Quartzsite will fi nd a way when we recognize we must. ''All of us suffer heartaches and diffi culties in our lives. If you say to yourself, 'fi nd a way,' you'll make it through.'' Diane Nyad You could Be Anywhere, Doing Anything, and You are Here Doing This, Thank You" ~ Robert Greygrass (thank you from me too!)

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