By Brian Buethe, President | CEO, Grimes Chamber & Economic Development, brianb@grimesiowa.com
January 2021 Newsletter Article
Grimes, Iowa is an awesome, growing community. While growth is occurring in our community for a number of reasons, one of the explanations is that this is a city that has a very real community feel. People seem to genuinely care for their neighbors; even those that they don’t know very well.
The community of Grimes has a lot going for it and rarely a day goes by that we can’t point to something good happening in our community. We are truly blessed, by many standards. But even in the best communities, bad things happen. Accidents, failed relationships, natural disasters, crime, death; we are not immune from any of these unfortunate circumstances. While we try to prepare, mitigate, and avoid the bad to the best of our ability, sometimes stuff just happens.
While we may not be able to avoid all of the rough things that life can throw at us, we must always remember that we can choose how we respond when the waters get deep. We can lean on one another for advice, assistance, or even a hug. We can respond to others with kindness. In Grimes alone, we can point to numerous examples of neighbors helping neighbors and friends helping friends.
We see small gestures, like buying something from a fundraising event, even though you don’t really need it. We’ve witnessed people come together to help find lost pets. Citizens making masks for people they may never meet. Bringing food to a friend who is sick. Donating to a family who has experienced an unthinkable loss. Supporting local businesses when they are struggling and scared of losing everything they have worked achieve.
The secret to being a truly great community is making sure that the list of kind and loving gestures is longer than the catalogue of unfortunate events we experience. This past year has been a relatively tough year for many. However, it did give the gift of providing many opportunities for us to rise above and prove that we truly are a wonderful community. Challenge yourself and those around you to keep rising to the occasion. Bad things are going to happen, but with the help of those around us, there will always be a light waiting at the end of the tunnel.
#lovegrimes