LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
- June 26, 2007
To The People of Princeton;
As a member of the Living Water Foursquare Church I am writing this to say that as a member of this church I do not understand what is in our church that would warrant several attempts at breaking into the church. Seven or eight times in two months!
It seems that someone has told you that we have something you need or want. If you would like to join our church we would be more than happy to open our doors to you, but not at 2:30 AM to 4:00 AM. But if that is the time that you want to see the Lord, we can and will meet you at the door.
Now someone in our fine town knows who you are. They think it is okay not to say anything, well not so because you are just as guilty for not saying anything as they are for trying to break in.
Again, I ask the Town of Princeton to watch out for each other. Together we can make Princeton a better place to live.
Mike Simpson, Princeton
To The Editor;
A few weeks ago there was a very interesting article in the News Leader written by Dawn Johnson. It was about an expected cold spell in Canada sometime in 2027, I think it was.
When I read that article, I remembered an older man who I met in Dawson Creek in the early 80s, and what he told me about future weather changes in Canada. He had read an article by a scientist, I forget of what discipline the scientist was, but he had made a conclusion based on his studies that in 50 years one can not grow anything in Canada, it will be too cold.
This scientist publicized his findings I believe in the late 70s, and there is an interesting coincidence with 2027 and (a guess) 1977 + 50 = 2027.
My old friend is dead, so I cannot ask him about this information. I just wonder what Al Gore would say about this. Probably nothing.
Aarno Pehkonen
To The Editor;
Be Proud of Your Girl's Softball Team!
This non-Princeton grandma was very impressed with the improvement and team spirit of your girl's softball team as they won the Bantam Girls 'C' Divisional Championship with six straight victories.
Nine teams participated.
It was truly a team effort. From the beginning of the season, great devotion and patience was shown by the coaches to awaken and develop this group of mostly inexperienced players.
The girls were never critical of one another and always hustled to do their best while smiling and encouraging. They became good friends and working ball players.
I was very proud of my grand daughter Brittani who did a fabulous job of pitching and Britt was so pleased to have the team backing her up by playing so hard on defense.
Jewel's massage helped Britt to pitch in all the games.
At the Provincials: Win or lose, you have achieved your goal of winning the Divisional Playoffs. Keep smiling, play your games with effort and enjoy the experience.
Thanks for a great weekend!
- Dorothy Martini, Castlegar
To The Editor;
There is a saying, "It takes a community to raise a child." Since we moved to Princeton in October 2000 our family has seen how the people of Princeton are the embodiment of this saying.
Princetonites are continuously stepping up to the plate to get involved in activities and events to help children have fun, develop skills and give them a sense of belonging in their community. But from our perspective, the people of Princeton have taken this to a whole new level with their recent outpouring of love and support for our son, Mark, and indeed our whole
family.
Our 14 year old son is currently undergoing intensive chemotherapy for an aggressive B-cell lymphoma, which is a type of cancer. The prognosis is good but the chemotherapy has many side effects and complications. When Mark is not in BC Children's Hospital he is required to live in the area so as to be close to this paediatric oncology ward should complications arise. Once a month, there is the possibility that he will be allowed to return to his home in Princeton for a few days if his condition is stable enough.
Needless to say, life has essentially been turned upside down for our family. But if it is possible to be living a nightmare and yet feel incredibly blessed at the same time, then that would describe our situation.
The cancer, its treatment and watching what it does to our son is the nightmare; the show of support from people in Princeton is the blessing.
Right from the start, back in early May when this began, people literally flooded forward with offers of help, kind deeds, prayers and encouragement. We have so many people to thank. Firstly, Princeton Secondary School - teachers and students - you are all totally awesome! Thanks so much to those who shaved their heads and collected pledges, those who gave pledges to help
our family, to the hairdressers who did the shaving, to the student council and to the organizers and people who put on the event. Mark's dad and cousin were able to witness this spectacular event and then described it to Mark and I over the phone. To say we were touched would be an understatement. We were choked with emotion at such an overwhelming show of support for Mark and our family. The Princeton Bantam Softball Team also did a fundraising to support Mark. You girls are wonderful - thanks so much!
We also want to thank the people at our respective work places, Weyerhaeuser and the Princeton Health Centre and Hospital. John and I are so fortunate to work with such caring people, thanks for all you've done! Special thanks to Nancy Telford who has provided us a home away from home. Hugs and thanks to the members of Living Water Foursquare Church for being family to us. Another big thanks goes to the entire Brama family for their numerous acts of kindness. Thanks to the Baptist Youth Group for the DVD they sent Mark of them all telling jokes - it was priceless. For those who were able to come down to the Coast to visit Mark, know that it meant a great deal to him and was greatly appreciated. Thanks to all the people who have sent cards, gifts, and above all, prayers for Mark.
So many people have helped in so many ways, thank you to all of you. You have lightened our load and made us feel that we are not alone.
Many people have asked, "What does Mark think about all that's happened to him?" So here is a quote of his response to that question: "This cancer thing really sucks and is depressing but the good news is I'm not going to die so why should I be afraid? I know the chemo makes me feel pretty ill but it's the only way I'm going to get through this. So I just got to do it. I really miss Princeton and my friends there and I want to go swimming under the old wooden bridge."
To the people of Princeton he says, "Thank you for caring about me so very much and supporting my family. You are all very kind."
If everything goes as planned, Mark"s treatments will be finished by the middle of August.
So kind people of Princeton, near the end of August take a look under the old wooden bridge and you may well see Mark Cimbaro swimming there. He'll be the tall, skinny, bald kid with a huge smile on his face!
Thanks for everything!
- Jacqueline, John, Nicolas and especially Mark Cimbaro, Princeton
To The Editor;
I wish to express gratitude for the 52 firefighters from British Columbia, along with the American and New Zealand firefighters, who helped with the wildfires in Victoria, Australia last January.
The help was much appreciated by all in the districts where they were deployed.
- Ed Crain
(Erplan Communications Officer), Victoria, Australia
