Best of humankind is also on display

In many ways COVID-19 has brought out some of the worst and best of humankind.

Yes, we’ve had riots in New York, Portland, Minneapolis, St. Louis and Seattle. The virus has also brought out the best.

Take for example, the 57-year-old farmer near Crosby, N.D. whose cardiac arrest prompted his neighbors to harvest crops from his 1,000-acre farm. Lane Unhjem’s farm friends pitched in following his Sept. 9 health crisis and got the harvest in while Unhjem was taken first to Minot and then to Minneapolis where he’s in intensive care.

It didn’t stop when friends harvested his crops. Nope.

The man also had cattle on his ranch. They had to be fed. So 19 area ranchers hauled in 714 large bales of hay. That kept the cattle and horses fed.

Friends held a fundraiser for the man at the local Moose Lodge in Crosby and that pancake breakfast raised $19,000 to assist Unhjem. It didn’t stop there. A GoFundMe page was established to help with the farmer’s medical bills and that has raised $5,000, so far.

Crosby farm wives rolled up their sleeves too, and made meals for the family and filled the Unhjem’s freezer with food that will last for a month or so.

It is intriguing to hear of stories like this when rural residents pitch in to offer their help to one another during trying times.

Mr. Unhjem is the recipient of such an outpouring from his town. That’s part of the reason we live in the rural areas of our great nation. We see a need and we offer a hand without being asked, expecting nothing in return.

In Dodge County we have a number of farm families that make our county one of the best places in the state to live.

 It’s the humility and “do unto others, as you would have them do unto you” attitude that’s in our DNA. Many have witnessed this kind of caring, and some have experienced such kindness personally.

With all of the vitriol that is going on around us in the remaining days leading up to the election, let’s back off of the criticism and show kindness that is part of who we are as a community. It’s who we are.

Kindness

Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.

Mark Twain