On Aug. 10, I had the distinct pleasure of wearing my Cemetery Commissioner’s hat to attend the Haffey/Reddick service at Woodlawn Cemetery. It was such a pleasure to hear the minister speak about Madeline and her kindness and longevity on Orcas Island. Then, to hear and see the four generations present talk about how important Orcas Island is to them all. It really touched me in a way that will be hard to explain, but I will try.

I was remembering back to all those old families that lived here on Orcas and how hard they worked to survive here and, most importantly, how they supported each other and how important it was being a part of this community. It took everybody, especially in those early days, to make it work here. Don’t get me wrong, there were many differences of opinion, but the fabric that held this community together was varied and strong. We struggled to make ends meet and we also danced and celebrated with each other because of our collective love of Orcas Island.

Working together as a community, we did not just live together but worked together to create the institutions that we enjoy today. To mention a few: the medical center, library, senior center, Orcas Center, Sewer Association, Water Association, museum and that does not include all the service organizations like the Lions, Garden Club, Madrona Club and more.

Never would my elders or my generation ever think of suing one of our community institutions, let alone attack them publicly. So, attending this service on Saturday made me think of all the good people of Orcas who are trying to maintain the goodness of what it means to live and work and take care of the island we love. Unfortunately, there have been some tears in our community fabric with people who seem to want to destroy what we all have worked so hard to achieve and have had the privilege to enjoy the fruits of that labor. These fruits continue to be shared with all community members, new and old because we all know that we are truly blessed to be able to live here.

It is time to mend our social fabric. It is unacceptable to sue our organizations or print misleading information about our friends and community members. The other unfortunate part is that we cannot sit back and wait for it to work itself out. We need to stand up and pay attention or that tear in our community fabric will become a giant hole that I don’t think we will be able to mend. We will lose the organizations that we have worked so hard to build. Stand up and speak up before it is too late.

Thank you to the Haffey/Reddick/Nicol family for reminding me about why I continue to fight the good fight for my community and my love for Orcas.

BTW I most certainly never did or would ever tear down any signs at the Farmers Market or anywhere else, for that matter.

Leith Templin

Eastsound