Russian author Leo Tolstoy said, “The strongest of all warriors are these two — time and patience.”

Before I elaborate, though, please have the patience to allow me to share some recent happenings as the mayor of the best small town in America.

Have you tried the new nine-hole disc golf course at Freeman Field Recreational Area? If the answer is no, I encourage you to prepare now and pick a three-disc starter set to be ready for the next beautiful late winter day that pops up. I say this as I had a chance to play a quick round on the last 60-plus-degree day we had early in February.

Things to be prepared for when you first give it a go: The overall walk will be a little over a mile, more than likely you will have a few aches and pains from twisting more than normal and nine holes really only takes around 40 minutes or less if you are playing with one or two friends (i.e. you don’t have to plan a ton of time into your schedule). Hope you get a chance to enjoy it soon.

Ice and snow moments from around the community: First, a big thank you to our two crews from the Department of Public Works for around-the-clock efforts to fight the ice as it first hit and then later to work on snow after it switched over from ice to snow. Dealing with winter weather is never easy, and our community has come together to support this group every storm over the last few years.

Local business owners have chosen more than once to fill the bellies as they work those extended hours into the night. Now before anyone starts complaining, I realize that 100% of the roads were not perfect, that some cars get plowed in and that on more than one occasion a freshly cleared driveway had snow tossed back onto it. Even with those moments, I still received about four positive comments to every one negative.

As happens after each snow event, DPW will look at what went right and what went wrong to see how to improve for the next round when it comes.

The last piece before I move on is a thank you to Supervisor Rick Phillips for taking several hours one evening to put me in the driver’s seat and teaching me the dos and don’ts of operating a snowplow. Thanks to his patience, I can now answer some of those questions we get about cars and driveways from experience.

With the 2022 Special Olympics Polar Plunge coming up, I recently had a chance to join fellow plungers for a roadblock at Second and Walnut streets for a few hours. A few years ago, I took my first polar plunge and was welcomed like an old friend by a great group of athletes and volunteers. Joining me this year as a first-time plunger is my youngest daughter. A total of 10 volunteers and athletes took to the streets with temps in the teens to raise more than $420 for the Special Olympics program here in the county.

Since I was 18 years old, I have often told people that God brings us each back in his time. Because of this belief, I sometimes struggle to spread the gospel outside of the occasional one-on-one conversation.

Over the last few weeks, though, I believe God has been very active in our community. Please know that I am not telling you what to believe or how to believe. I am sharing this because an iron that is currently in the fire has both secular and nonsecular paths to a brighter future for our community.

As I try to find the patience to allow time to sort out details, I am faced with challenges from many different directions. Each day, a few more people know about what we are working on as they are brought into the conversations, and any of those may view timing differently than I do. I look forward to the near future when I feel the time is right to start sharing the project with everyone.

Today, I leave you with a quote that I strive for each day from American author H. Jackson Brown Jr.: “The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.”