By Gilda Morales —
Last week's letter to the editor from Ms. Wilson spurred a multitude
of emotions which began with incredulity, then evolved to anger, and
then dissipated to amusement.
I'm not sure where Ms. Wilson's previously lived, but it is obvious
that she didn't do her homework about Van Horn before moving here, and
is a bit naïve about our history.
Many of us do remember a time when there was not only a theater
downtown, but a drive-in as well. However, how many drive-ins are still
in existence in this country?
As for a pharmacy, we were fortunate to have Mr. Vincent, who served
this community faithfully for decades, and when he retired, we were
lucky enough to have Mr. Talley take over the pharmacy until his
passing. Van Horn is resilient, and we are now fortunate to have two
companies supplying our pharmacy needs, and one of them even delivers!
I don't know about you, having lived for 15 Years in a big city —
Dallas — to be exact, was more than enough for me. I've lived where
services and access to goods were not a problem…the Walgreens, the HEBs,
the Starbucks.
But do you know what IS missing? The people. Fifteen years, and the
most contact I ever had with my neighbors was a wave, if I was lucky.
My mother had a stroke while visiting me there, two ambulances came
to pick her up on two different days, and not ONE neighbor ever came by
to ask if we needed anything.
We complain, mostly jokingly, that everyone here knows everyone's
business, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. Anyone who has gone
through the death of a loved one, has been ill, or has just had a need,
knows that everyone here is family…whether by blood or friendship, and
THAT is worth more than any convenience that a big city can offer.
So keep your Wal-Mart because if I can't find it at Dollar General,
Pilot, Love's, Higginbotham's or Bucky's, I probably don't need it.
Fancy dining? Give me Lizzy's. Papa's, or Chuy's, and even the Sand's
has a mean burger, and I'll put our Cattle Company and El Capitan
against any restaurant anywhere. Starbucks? For the price of one fancy
cup of coffee, Rodney can feed you a full breakfast, and the
“entertainment” from the locals is free!
Maybe you just haven't been here long enough to appreciate that we
only have two traffic lights, that traveling to work won't raise your
blood pressure, that if you leave your lights on in your business or
car, you'll get a call from someone to let you know, and to realize that
someone will always have your back. No, we don't have many of the
amenities that you mentioned, but we do have the finest group of people
you will ever meet, and given the choice, I chose the latter, with no
regrets. Hopefully, someday you will get too.
Sincerely,
Gilda Morales
Note from editor: Last week's letter to the editor incorrectly named
the author as “Penney Mathews.” The name of the author was Penney
Wilson. We regret the error.
