Gratitude

To the editor:

As the people of Marion certainly already know, Marion is a community of good people.

We witnessed this firsthand when, driving on U.S.-77 on the night of Nov. 2, 2012, we crashed into a cow that had escaped its pen and was standing in the middle of the road a few miles outside of town.

A man driving the opposite direction witnessed the crash, stopped, and put out a call for help. Within minutes, numerous Marion citizens had gathered around, giving us care and comfort until emergency services could get us to the hospital. 

We always meant to return to Marion to give our thanks after we recovered from the accident, but we never did.

Shame on us that it took news stories about an illegal newspaper raid to remind us of our debt of gratitude to the community.

And so, more than a decade late: Thank you to the people of Marion for taking care of us in our time of need.

Your kindness is a piece of what makes your community strong, and we can imagine it helps to make Marion a great place to live.

Something else that strengthens a town is a great local newspaper.

As former Kansas reporters, we both have heard the point of view that, by covering contentious issues and speaking truth to power, journalists sow discord in their communities.

The truth is that a good newspaper makes a town more resilient. Just as a strong relationship requires honesty and openness, a strong community needs truth and light. That is what a newspaper like the Marion County Record provides. 

We hope you will surround the Marion County Record with support and love during its time of need, just as you did for two strangers in the middle of a corn field on a November night years ago.

Stephanie Farley
and Emily Behlmann
Wichita