Editor:

When we moved to the Copper Country 50 years ago, I called the Gazette office to subscribe to this newspaper, and when I asked when the TV schedule was published, the clerk said, “Oh – that came out yesterday, but I’ll put one in your mailbox on my way home.” I decided right away that this was an unusually friendly place.

The diversity of people who live here is another blessing of this community. Thanks to our history and university, people of many colors, cultures, classes, and faith traditions live here. With the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community nearby, we remember the first people who lived on this continent, and in our schools our children learn about the people who did not come to America by choice. Varied experiences and outlooks are vital blessings for humans who face global challenges.

Extreme weather seems to bring out the best in us, wherever we live, prodding us to move out of our private homes to help each other. Copper Country winters are unusual, and people who don’t like to see snow snakes on tree branches don’t tend to stay. When storms come and the power goes out, we are fortunate to have many organizations that connect those in need with those who serve.

One of the first sentences a child with siblings utters, is, “It’s not fair!” Somehow, we have allowed our nation to tolerate extremes of wealth and poverty. Unlike cities in warmer places, the Copper Country, does not have a large number of homeless people, and displays of extreme wealth are considered unseemly, yet we know that inequality exists, even here. Again, we have many opportunities to share and to care, and because of our social nature, we feel good inside when we do.

I remember a children’s sermon in which the minister asked the youngsters how many different ways they could form a circle. Making an outward-facing circle did not occur to them, but this, he said, was precisely the sort of circle our faith called us to be. Inclusivity is a challenge for us, both personally and nationally. We know how good it feels to be part of a group, but we can easily forget how bad it feels to be excluded.

We live in a wonderful place, but we can make the Copper Country even better by making sure our circles of friends intersect.

Carolyn C. Peterson

Houghton