Worst winter on record
People rise to the challenge with heart-warming response

Madison has received a record amount of snowfall this winter. While most of us can handle snow, we've also had to deal with ice, arctic blasts, and sub-zero windchills. All of this makes for a dangerous combination!

	Editor's View Mary C. Uhler

Our winter weather has made it downright challenging to walk outside, let alone drive a car. There have been plenty of traffic tie-ups and fender-benders. For the disabled and elderly, it has often meant being cooped up for days on end.

Perhaps the low point of the winter was the traffic jam on I-39/I-90 on Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 5 and 6. A blizzard caused more than 2,000 vehicles to be stranded overnight between Madison and Janesville. State and local authorities are still trying to sort out why this happened and what can be done to prevent it in the future.

People rise to the challenge

In the midst of all the winter challenges, there are some bright spots that seem to be ignored by the secular media. I think it's important to point out some of the good things that have happened this winter.

As with many other weather emergencies (floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis), it seems as if people rise to the challenge. When faced with calamities, we could flee or hide from disaster. Or we can face it head-on and deal with it in a positive way.

Reaching out to help others

My experience this winter has shown that many, many wonderful people have decided to reach out and help others in need. One example is our neighbor, Greg. He has a very large snowblower. While he could be content to take care of his own driveway and walks, instead he has braved blizzard conditions to run his snowblower up and down his neighbors' sidewalks and driveways. He has even crossed the street to clear walks on the other side.

His help has especially been valuable to disabled and elderly persons. Although they can hire people to remove snow, the sheer volume of snow has meant delays in getting this done. Greg has also been a God-send to neighbors in helping remove the snow mounds left by snowplows.

I've heard many other people talking about neighbors who've helped other neighbors. They've dug out cars stuck in the snow, brought in the mail and papers, and delivered food to shut-ins. In some cases people have offered to pick up prescriptions and given people rides to the doctor's office.

Heart-warming response

And that traffic jam on the Interstate? I've heard stories of motorists going from car to car offering food, water, and blankets to those in need. I've heard about truck drivers who welcomed stranded motorists into their cabs when their gas ran out. I've heard about people who offered to take stranded motorists into their homes after the storm.

The heart-warming response to the winter cold shows that people do care. As Catholics, we realize how important it is to live out our faith - and hopefully many of us are doing just that this winter.

Jesus encouraged us to feed the hungry and clothe the naked. During this winter, many of us had stepped up our donations to the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Their recent Recycle the Warmth blanket drive was especially important this year, but the need for food, clothing, and monetary donations continues throughout the year.

A big thank-you

To all those who have helped others this year - to people like my neighbor, Greg - I say, "Thank you." You are role models for all of us.

I encourage everyone to do what they can to help others in need. Reach out with love and compassion. Donate to St. Vincent de Paul and other food pantries and shelters. You will be amazed at how warm you feel despite the cold weather!

Mailbag

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Voting Catholic conscience

To the editor:

Thank you so much for publishing the recent opinions regarding voting. The basic principle that Christian Doctrine is built upon is one simple sentence. Jesus lived his earthy life preaching to the masses and this one statement rang out more often than any other. "Thou shall not kill."

It doesn't say it's okay to kill enemies or kill people who do not believe as we do. It says, "Thou shall not kill." Any candidate who believes that war and killing is the answer is one who does not deserve the Catholic vote.

Another Catholic belief that arises from the Bible and Jesus' life on earth is "Love one another as I have loved you." We sing those words in song during Mass, we hear them echoed during the readings, and we are called to walk in the footsteps of our Lord as He "Loved one another."

Nowhere does it say in the Bible you only love certain people, or only love those who believe as you do, who think and act like you do. Jesus says to "Love one another as I have loved you."

Any candidate who believes certain groups of people should be excluded from living based on their beliefs or how they live their lives does not deserve the Catholic vote.

There is only one Person who is able to judge anyone and that Person is not running for office in this country.

Kathleen Pazak, McFarland

Remember lost generation

To the editor:

We went to Washington, D.C., along with more than 200,000 other concerned pro-life Americans to represent the unborn babies of our generation who don't have a choice to live. We spent three days in D.C. sightseeing and attending special workshops on the topic of abortion issues.

Before the "March for Life" actually began, we all gathered at the Capitol Mall to listen to many congressmen and various clergy talk on the issue of abortion in our country. They thanked us for being there and encouraged us to continue to stand up for the unborn. Then all 200,000 of us marched down Constitution Ave. towards the Supreme Court building while holding pro-life signs. It lasted for around two hours.

We are both 15 years old. What really encouraged both of us was seeing that over 60 percent of the people participating in the march with us were under age 25. We just learned that one-third of our generation has died because of abortion. A portion of the two-third abortion survivors are realizing that we too could have been legally killed before birth.

So looking to the future we hope that more kids our age would see the loss of our generation and want to get involved in the fight for the unborn because the unborn don't have a choice.

Heidi Hawkinson and Josée Weigand, West Bend