By Winnie Bolton
As I grow older outwardly, within me grows deeper the virtue of gratefulness. Please endure my humble spirit as I write about my pride of being a citizen of Mount Angel.
It was in 2002 when Tom and I were honored with the title “First Citizens of the Year” by this beautiful little town.
While recently browsing through my treasures of keepsakes, I found my original “thank you” speech. Since my nature believes there are reasons for the whys and whens of life, I believe I am to repeat my respect and gratefulness for this precious act of kindness.
So here it goes… “Good evening friends, I have a funny story to tell you that has a beautiful ending.
When we first to Mount Angel in 1990, we were involved with the Abbey. Tom was employed as the alumni director and I worked in the library archives.
We both branched out into the community – my being involved at St. Mary’s Elementary School in tutoring and starting the children’s poison prevention program at Silverton Hospital. Tom inquired into city government and was appointed by then Mayor Randy Traeger to the city council.
We felt like we were becoming true Mount Angelites meeting more and more town’s people and with the wonderful Oktoberfest every year – we were falling totally in love with this little town. Now it happened one day that I mentioned how much I loved it here and that I felt like a true Mount Angelite to a person who had lived here all her life. She answered, “That’s so nice of you to say, but you really have to have been born here to be called a Mount Angelite.”
I thought that was a strange remark but heck! What did I know being a transplant from somewhere else? I was feeling pretty presumptuous. But about a year later “a like conversation” ensued with another person who was not a native but lived here a long time. I mentioned the conversation I had a year earlier and his response was, “Why that’s just plain nuts. You don’t have to be born here to be a Mount Angelite.You just need to have lived here for about 40 years.”
Well, there’s no way I’d be around to hit that 40-year requirement but I still felt the nagging pull in my heart to become a real Mount Angelite – you know, like the puppet Pinocchio’s yearning to become a real boy.
Then came the shocker the day that Tom and I were named First Citizens of Mount Angel. Now that has got to mean we finally made the cut – so you see, like Pinocchio’s, my dream came true too. And I didn’t even wish upon a star.
Knowing what a unique town this is with our own Mount Angel Towers at one end of town, a nationally recognized nursing home at the other end, an Abbey and seminary at the top of the hill, a monastery and homeless shelter at the bottom of the hill and in-between a mission house of the Holy Spirit, a steepled church, three schools with caring administrators and staff, a mental, emotional and physically challenged training center that few small towns have, an excellent hospital down the road, even a lovely gazebo with a band practicing on warm summer evenings. What more nourishment could a small town offer? If you close your eyes and listen to your grateful heart, you’ll be able to hear angel wings flapping overhead watching over all of us who are blessed to live here.
Let’s be grateful for each new day that arrives, a day that we have never lived before. Twenty-four new, fresh, unexplored hours to use joyfully. Yesterday’s troubles are in the past. Tomorrow’s may never come to pass. God has granted us this new day to do with as we will. Let’s fill it with kindness toward others and it will have been enough for one day.”
This was my acceptance speech and was I nervous. Tom gave his speech after mine and it was beautiful. He thanked all the police and firemen who worked so well with him helping him to fulfill his duties as mayor.
