Many hands make the burden light

Sometimes the worst situations bring out the best in people.

Recently there have been several unpleasant incidences in town not the least of which was the theft and damage of two city vehicles. But, with every unpleasant incident, there were people who stepped forward to help, continuing to demonstrate the generous, caring nature of the people of Pea Ridge.

The break-in and theft at the Street Department alone will cost the city more than $10,000. Many man-hours from the police were involved in solving that crime which resulted in the arrest of four young men. But, concerned residents of the area helped to solve that crime. There were residents whose homes have surveillance cameras that filmed information that helped; observant residents who notified police of seeing something suspicious; others who heard reports of the suspects activities. All that information added to the pieces of the puzzle that resulted in the arrests.

Just this morning (Tuesday) an area resident notified a pastor who called The TIMES office that he wanted to pay the water bill of someone in town who had been in a needy circumstance. A couple of phone calls later, the bill was paid and the recipient was overwhelmingly appreciative. "Please tell whoever it is that he blessed someone today," she said.

At the Intermediate School, principal Sarah Stokes held a reception honoring the many, many people who stepped forward to help raise funds to put a playground on campus. The students there, in third through fifth-grade, had been without a playground for about six months after the renovating and construction of the new facility. The original project was expected to take as long as three years, but with many people stepping forward, a playground was installed.

And, just north of town, outside the city limits, three neighbors joined hands to stop the spread of a fire that destroyed a shed and threatend a home.

My dear great-grandmother, who we called MaMaw, used to say: "Many hands make the burden light."

Whereas something may be overwhelming for one or even two people, when people join forces, much can be accomplished. Let's continue to work together to bless one another and build a good community.

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Editor's note: Annette Beard is the managing editor of The Times, chosen the best small weekly newspaper in Arkansas four of the last five years. A native of Louisiana, she moved to northwest Arkansas in 1980 to work for the Benton County Daily Record. She has nine children, four sons-in-law, five grandsons, a granddaughter and another grandson due in May. She can be reached at [email protected].