Speaking Personally: Your local, independent journalist asked for help

Last week was horrible. Unspeakable tragedy, grinding exhaustion, aching grief, sobbing children, and chaos set the stage for a lot of opportunities for God to show up and provide loving care in the little ways that sustain us poor mortals when life stops making sense.

 

All those little graces add up to the fact that this newspaper is in your hands at all today.

 

In this issue, there is an obituary for our office manager, Marsha Asberry’s, daughter. 

 

Josie was special -- both in the sense that she needed extra care and in the sense that there was no one like her. She beamed with sunshine-y innocence, had such an unusual sense of humor, and the most beautiful eyes. 

 

Her passing was cruelly unexpected. 

 

My ten-year-old daughter, Bonnie, and Josie were buddies – pen pals in fact. Marsha is the kind of employee who feels like family. She’s held my babies, received their sticky kisses, and saved their little love notes as they grew. 

 

Now, we are supporting her as best we can as she says goodbye to her baby. 

 

Ron, the kids, and I worked in the office all week trying to replace the million things Marsha does so effortlessly. We called in favors to cover all the gaps until we -- just ran out of favors. 

 

That is how I found myself giving a scheduled presentation to city of Willow Springs with no one to cover it. It’s up to me to report on my own interaction with the board of aldermen, and well – I don’t know how to do that without just addressing you, dear readers, in my own voice. 

 

Maybe it’s a breach of journalistic distance, but it’s what is happening. Forgive me. At least it's good news. 

 

Regular readers will recall that I launched fundraising efforts last month for Bailey Legacy Park, a pocket playground designed to honor Willow Springs’ most iconic citizen, Wendell Bailey. Ron and I are dedicating the city lot next to the news office to a playground with a mural celebrating Wendell and Willow Springs. 

 

Though fundraising is going well, I have become anxious that my intended timeline was unrealistic. I needed a leap forward towards starting the project, so I resolved to approach the aldermen to pitch the project’s public purpose, for which the city does have designated funding. 

 

On Thursday, I had brand new landscaping plans from Letterman Landscaping to present to the aldermen, and I described how the park is designed to honor Wendell’s life and accomplishments, but the painted path leading from the park through downtown Willow Springs is big idea for a revitalization project that will encourage us all to spend time (and money) downtown. 

 

In the midst of a sad, gut-wrenching week, I went. I stood behind the podium and described the idea. I waxed sentimental about everything Wendell has done for me and for this town.

 

The aldermen voted to give $5,000 to the Baliey Legacy Park project, through the Willow Springs Community Foundation, and to loan the project $10,000, to be repaid through continued fundraising efforts that I am responsible for organizing. 

 

They said yes. I said thank you, and I really, truly meant it. It was the leap forward I was hoping for. Weather permitting, we will start moving dirt on the new park this week. 

 

So there you have it- a messy, inelegant report on the spending of public funds, because your local independent journalist is, in this instance, also your local community improver. 

 

May a week like this never find us again, but if it does – let it find us while we’re in the best community in this wide world. 

 

If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to the Bailey Legacy Park project, contact the news office at 417-252-2123 or mail a check to the Willow Springs Community Foundation, attn: Bailey Legacy Park, 127 E. Main St., Willow Springs.