Something About Nothing by Julie Seedorf

I fell in love this week. Visiting the Freeborn County Humane Society with my friend, I fell in love with a cute little Chihuahua with no name. He had no name because he was picked up on the street, and all attempts to find his owner failed. He was a cuddly, well-trained little fellow. I wanted to take him home along with a pair of dogs whose names were Batty and Betty. They, too, were found wandering and no one has claimed them. It is clear they are bonded and need to stay together. It made me sad Mr. no name Chihuahua and Batty and Betty lost their homes and their names because of course, they can’t tell us what they answer to. I can’t imagine losing my pet and not searching high and low to find them.

I have a friend whose cat popped out of their house unexpectedly. They spent hours in corn fields looking for him. Her heart is broken if she doesn’t find him. But there are those who toss aside an animal at a whim and some of the animals at the Humane Society and other venues that rescue animals see the worst of the worst.

I am lucky I have a husband who loves animals but knows we can only handle so many or Mr. Chihuahua, Batty and Betty, and a few of the cats would have come home with me that day. Animals are frightened when they are abandoned, but they still give unconditional love. I do not understand human behavior that results in cruelty to animals or humans.

I was also reminded the same day of lost reverence for the past when I read of the defacing of some of the cliffs and artifacts at Mesa Verde Park in Colorado. Having visited this remarkable reminder of the days when the cliff dwellers built these remarkable homes, again sadness came to my heart. Why do people feel the need to cause destruction to something so beautiful? Is it a loss of understanding, a loss of compassion or just plain ignorance of how their actions affect others for years to come because of the history of these places?

Then I got a letter from my bank. They are being bought out by a larger bank. It seemed to be a day when news was affecting me. I grew up in Wells and Wells Federal Savings and Loan was a part of my childhood. Believe it or not, when I was a child my parents took me to Wells Federal Savings to open my first savings account, and I have been there ever since. When Wells Federal Savings turned into a full-service bank I added checking and savings to my account. When needing a loan, it was a hometown bank that took into consideration more than the numbers when considering a loan.

The business and its board and employees were a promoter of the community. And our community was proud to have that hometown bank. Not only will it be missed because of its history but because of the jobs, it has provided that are rumored to be taken away. I feel as if I am losing an old trusted friend and will miss seeing the employees who will be leaving. They have always been professional and an asset to our community. In a small way, I feel the decision to merge the bank with an out-of-state bank after so many years of service is breaking an age-old promise to the community. But progress must go on, and it is with sadness I mourn some of the changes that will come.

And then I read more news about Mayo and the Albert Lea hospital. Those of us who have been using their satellite clinics already have felt the promise broken when they bought these clinics. Services have been declined and tests were outsourced to Albert Lea. Now, these changes are also affecting the Albert Lea hospital. The Mayo medical system has me wondering if progress is all that great. I hope the community of Albert Lea finds an answer. It is time for all of us who feel helpless in situations where big business dictates how we live and how we die, to stand up and have our voices heard and keep having them heard even if the changes take place. Maybe another hospital system will hear them and come in and help. If the stand isn’t taken now it will only get worse in the future.

There is always good news somewhere that lifts us out of the sadness when we don’t understand other people’s and business actions.

Mr. No Name Chihuahua got adopted. The people who run the Humane Society are giving, caring people. The animals have somewhere to go when rescued and are not put to death. Adopt a pet from a shelter and it will change your life.

More publicity is being directed at national monuments and problems parks are having with people misusing the beautiful resources God gave us and solutions are being examined. Others are holding others accountable for their actions. And hopefully, the message will grow that disrespecting the earth God gave us is not tolerated.

Though it is changing, Wells Federal hopefully will still have a presence in my community along with People’s State Bank, which is still a hometown bank.

The citizens of Albert Lea and surrounding areas are coming together to save their hospital and keep health care available for those in Albert Lea and surrounding areas. The strife has brought the community together.

All of those things make me smile and still believe in the goodness of the majority of the people. So although I feel sadness at all these things, I feel hope in the future.

Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence. — Helen Keller

Wells resident Julie Seedorf’s column appears every Monday. Send email to her at hermionyvidaliabooks@gmail.com.