American Legion shutting down

I read in the newspaper that the American Legion Post in Princeton, Ca is likely to shut down. Its 100-year-old-plus building has been condemned and the Post is without financial means to repair or replace it. Members say they cannot continue the post's fundraising work to support local projects without a physical building which includes a kitchen and other needed conveniences. This little building has been at the center of the town's events for years. Now, like so many other treasures of the past it is at risk of fading away. I don't know enough about the logistics of what it would take to save or replace the building. I don't know what it would cost, but it seems to me something might be done if the people were willing to ante up and donate to the cause. Sometimes we just have to dig a little deeper to save what we think is important. It is just a thought, but it might work. Who knows, now that the plight of this Post is known, maybe a 'miracle' will occur and the building can be saved. We live in a time when the past is not as revered as it once was. We live in a time of fast paced lives, fast food, quick response, and quick turn around. We complain if our Internet connection is too slow. We forget that it once took months for a letter to arrive. We want delivery of products right now, and we can't see beyond the ends of our noses for the time we want to wait for results for any given task. In the last couple of years I have come to appreciate more the slower pace of life. I enjoy a quiet evening out of doors when the weather is nice. I admire the open sky and the bright stars. I have learned that there is far more to see in the sky than there is on television. I like to go for walks in the early morning, smell the smells of the country and watch as the seasons change. We have been given a world to care for, and we have been given lives that afford us these simple pleasures all we have to do is accept them. The knowledge that the little American Legion Post building sat silently at the center of town in Princeton, ready to accommodate when needed may have been taken for granted. But now, as it is at risk of being taken away, a lot of people are saddened. We move on to faster more convenient ways of life, but we shouldn't forget the pleasures of the past, or the solid foundation upon which they were built. Just a thought'' Kathy Craigo can be reached at kcraigo66@hotmail.com.