Hello New Braunfels,
I’m having some whiplash lately with it already being May. Last I checked, the February page of my calendar was still hanging on the wall. But life moves fast, and it’s important to take the time to recognize the events and people around you.
That’s what contributing columnist Jenny Jurica discusses in her most recent column on page 40, but beyond the scope of her column I feel the message ties into many of the stories in this issue.
There are so many people who contribute daily to the lives of New Braunfelsers and don’t always get recognition. Many of them aren’t seeking recognition, so we have to seek out these stories of inspiration.
It isn’t always pulling people from burning cars that means helping your community (although that’s a feat on it’s own that always deserves recognition). Sometimes it can mean finding a need in the community that isn’t being met, or helping the next generation get their feet moving in the right direction. There’s many ways to do that, through education, volunteering or just finding a way to share your passion.
In a place like New Braunfels, where culture is essential to the fabric of what makes this community special, it is of utmost importance to make sure we are sharing the tools we might have been deprived of when we were young or to help inspire children who are dealing with hardships.
And what a year it has been in terms of hardships, thanks to the unprecedented winter weather we experienced in February on top of the continuing pandemic, which is hopefully on its way out locally by the time you are reading this.
Matt Briggs shares in Dale Martin’s most recent story that he was unable to find the musical guidance he now gives students at his studio in New Braunfels.
As someone who spent a lot of time growing up in rural areas without sidewalks and where “the city” meant the nearest town with a Walmart, it’s difficult to describe what it means when an adult would recognize the opportunities and lessons they were deprived of growing up and make an effort to take you under their wing.
Service comes in a lot of forms, and it doesn’t always have to happen at a volunteer event. Just putting a little effort into making your community better can sometimes be enough.
Please, read through the stories in this issue and take the time to recognize that while some of the featured people are doing what they love, they are also trying to better the lives of those around them as they go, that driving their inspiration.