The work that continues after the applause

Dear Editor:

 I enjoyed reading the Signal American’s Oct. 29 report about the Weiser Chamber of Commerce recognizing local people, organizations, and businesses for their service. Awards matter because they say that steady, often unseen work deserves to be noticed.

 But the moment that moves me most is what happens the next morning. Someone opens the door again. A volunteer returns to help. A neighbor does the ordinary task that nobody thought to photograph.

 In John’s Gospel, Jesus Christ washed his disciples’ feet. He chose the work normally given to a servant, even though those around him called him Teacher and Lord. His example turns our usual definition of greatness upside down. Recognition is not the purpose of service. The purpose is the person being served.

 In small communities, that kind of faith can look like making a space welcoming, listening to a family that has had a hard week, or giving someone the time needed to find their way. Much of it never appears in an awards program, and that is all right. The community benefits whether the work is celebrated or not.

 I live in Fort Collins, Colo., not Weiser, and I would not presume to speak for the people the Chamber honored. I simply appreciate a newspaper that notices the unglamorous commitments holding a town together.

 May those who received recognition be encouraged, and may those whose names were never announced know their service also has worth. Jesus reminded his followers that loving one another is something they must do, not merely something they say.

 The most meaningful award is often another chance to help someone tomorrow.

Douglas Vandergraph

Fort Collins, Colo.