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P��� 2 “Every one of us gets through the tough times because some- body is there, standing in the gap to close it for us.” —Oprah Winfrey Quartzsite is, according to many, going through some rough times. Others see the world through won- der and acceptance. Who is there for those of us going through those rough times? Is it our neighbors, friends, those who call us with just a quick question of, “how are you doing today?” I recently attended a beautiful fam- ily gathering where we were asked to bring the BEST OF WHO WE ARE with us. When we look inside to fi nd the best of ourselves, we real- ize that sometimes the worst of us sometimes sneeks out and creates harm to those we care about. My elder said, “It’s hard to become a human being,” meaning that it’s hard to live in a good way in our so- Deadline for Aug. 3rd issue of the Desert Messenger is WED. July 27 Email: desertmessenger7@yahoo.com Phone: 541-218-2560 www.DesertMessenger.com NOW OPEN SA 8am till noon thru March 20th TURDA Y ���.D�����M��������.��� Editorial BY SHANANA “RAIN” GOLDEN-BEAR ciety today. He continues, “There’s only two directions we can go; we can either grow or stagnate.” As a community, we have to choose to grow otherwise we, as a commu- nity, will stagnate. We can all work together, even with our differences, and it’s up to us to pull it all back together again. Recently, people are choosing to be disruptive and showing their anger during Town Council meet- ings. When you read the letters to the editor in this issue you will feel the frustration of many residents in this community. As a loving, caring people, it is up to us how we respond to the discord in our town. How will we treat those we disagree with? We have to show others the BEST of our town, not just the worst. Wayne Dyer said, “Everything you are Against Weakens you. Everything you are For Empow- ers you.” When we are challenged with those who express their anger at anyone who walks nearby, we can choose to not take it personally. When the ra- bid dog strikes at its 2-legged owner, it is the dog that needs healing, not the owner. RV & TRUCK REPAIR BEST AUTO SERVICE YOU CAN DEPEND ON! 585 N. Central Quartzsite Open Mon-Fri 8-5 928-927-8787 Johnny DelPino, Owner $15 OFF any A/C Service or Inspection COUPON T$20 Rotate and Balance of Must present coupon at time of work • Expires 10/15/11 ires on any car or light truck (up to 3/4 ton) Quartzsite is a one-of-a-kind place for snowbirds to winter-over, for vendors to return year after year, for visitors to explore the beautiful desert surrounding our little town, for artists and musicians to share their talents, and the list goes on and on. Those who love Quartzsite will continue to love Quartzsite. Those who don’t, won’t. That’s just life. Will Quartzsite survive the turmoil brought upon us? Of course we will. Will “SHIFT” happen? Of course it will. My elder says, “when you leave here, bring hope back to the people.” Every human being has bias. Defi nition for bias: (noun) Personal judgment; a way we think about things that is formed by our experi- ence. A bias is a point of view influ- enced by experience. We all have biases, but we aren’t always aware of them. Since people have different experiences, we all develop different biases. So to understand that we all come from different points of view, how can we think ours is going to be totally right? It just is. When we recognize that we have differences of opinion and can still bring the best of ourselves to a meeting or J��� 6, 2011 gathering, our community will be one that welcomes everyone. January will still come and snow- birds will return to the Sonoran Desert by the hundreds of thou- sands. What words will we say to our visitors? Will it be supportive and growth oriented or will be choose to stagnate in our thoughts and words? How are we preparing for the infl ux of visitors? I encourage you to bring the BEST OF YOURSELF to the next council meeting, town hall meeting, school board meeting, non-profit meet- ing and your next meal at the local restaurants. We adults are the teachers and role models for our children. They learn from us. What are we teaching the next generations with our actions and behaviors? We teach them how to dream of a better future. We teach them how to act with respect for an- other human being. We teach them about the beauty in the world. Character Counts continues with Fairness and Citizenship cou- pons on pages 6 & 18. Scattered throughout this issue are teachings on the two topics. Work with the children and as we remind ourselves of these les- sons, let us show others we have an understanding of how to be a good citizen and how to be fair. Let us all teach our children these character virtues through our actions. D����� M�������� Founded by Walt Akin, October 1, 2004 Contributing Writer, Joanne Winer Quartzsite‛s FREE Community Paper Name Plate Lettering by Paul Winer PUBLISHED BY PILOT ROCK PUBLISHING CO. P.O. Box 3185, Quartzsite, AZ 85359 www.DesertMessenger.com • www.QuartzsiteBlog.com E-mail: desertmessenger7@yahoo.com Published twice a month on the 1st & 3rd Wednesday, Sept. - May, 1st Wed. in June, July & August Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Desert Messenger. Shanana “Rain” Golden-Bear, Publisher Copyright © 2011 541-218-2560 Contributing Photographer, Starr BearCat