Today in the Ottumwa Courier my letter to the editor was published regarding the layoff of workers from John Deere Ottumwa Works.  Of the 1000 employees that were let go, 700 are from Ottumwa.

This was so distressing and brought back vivid memories of my father struggling to pay bills.  He actually had the postal service delivery timed so that he would mail a check at the last possible moment so that he would deposit his monthly military check before it would bounce.  If needed, he would round up a poker game, and he usually won. Too bad they didn’t have the big stakes Las Vegas poker games then.  He might have been able to pay for college.

The layoffs reminded me of being fired at 17 and then let go later when the oil industry collapsed in Texas followed by the S & L housing and commercial real estate crises with massive layoffs.  This episodes occurred when interest rates were in double digits however, so the strain on families and individuals were tremendous.

In tough times, often people retreat into their shells.  But that is exactly what we must not do.  These are the times when we salvage our self-esteem and purpose in life by banding together and helping our community.  

We can share the bounty of a garden, babysit a neighbor’s child/ren while they  grocery shop, pick up litter along roadways, volunteer for charitable organizations, hospitals or churches.

If these difficult times, if we give up on our communities, we in fact give up on our ourselves.