Letter To The Editor – July 12, 2012

There Was Once A Town
  There was once a small town in Mississippi. People from all around came to the town to visit and shop, especially on Saturdays. In fact, a parking spot along Main Street was difficult to find without a search. The hotels were often filled to capacity with out-of-town guests. The people who lived there were proud of their little town.
  Then one day some people made a decision to close the largest business in the town and many jobs were lost as a result. A trend began to develop in the town as many people left the area to find work and opportunity elsewhere. Shops began to close and more people left until things were looking very bleak for the town.
  Then one day some people decided that they were tired of their town being so empty and so many stores being closed and boarded up. They believed that the town could return to the way it had been in the past. These people were not wealthy and many of them put their savings into re-opening some of these closed up stores and restaurants. Some of these new business owners had unusual ideas about the kind of things that might bring prosperity and jobs back to the town. Some of these people were told that their efforts were in vain and that nothing could bring prosperity back to the town. But they still believed it was possible.
  Then one day the people who lived there began to notice a change, and how that things had started to come back to life in the town. People walked up and down the Main Street and visited in the shops and restaurants. Even people from other cities began to visit the town and enjoy the attractions. Jobs and opportunity began to return. The people who lived there were proud of their little town.
 
contributing writer
  J. Clayton Peacock