We have reached the end of co-op annual meeting season. A majority of electric cooperatives in North Dakota held their annual meetings in June. It’s a chance to get together with your fellow co-op members, enjoy a good meal, ask questions of your board and management, learn about your cooperative’s financial health and most importantly carry out the business of your cooperative, including director elections and considering bylaws amendments.
Rural character is shaped by storytelling and keeping alive the memories of the past.
I grew up a farm boy in a time that predates social media, smartphones and 24/7 access to the outside world. Folks still got their news from the local paper and their rumors from the local coffeeshop. We had to be creative. We enjoyed the company of others. We talked, made our own fun and even played practical jokes.
Many formal types of recognition are awarded within our communities, organizations and even on a national and world stage. In athletics, teams and individuals seek championships. The performing arts has the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards). In journalism, there’s the Pulitzer and the Peabody. And, of course, there’s the Nobel Peace Prize, which recognizes outstanding achievement in science, medicine, economics and peace.
As the editor-in-chief, I get to ride the coattails of the people who consistently “grind it out” to produce this outstanding magazine – a publication that embodies the true spirit of rural North Dakota. I get to witness a masterpiece, in my opinion, come together, as the talented North Dakota Living team, along with each cooperative’s local pages editor, passionately and dedicatedly find and tell “the best of the best” stories. These stories need to be shared.
A recent conversation with my 18-year-old high school senior sets the stage perfectly for this month’s issue of North Dakota Living.
Me: “Hey, I bought you something for your car.”
Daughter: “Dad, if it is another thing to add to my winter survival kit, I might lose it. I hardly have room in the back of the car.”
Does your family send a Christmas letter? Perhaps a Christmas card with (if you’re lucky) all the children (and husband) smiling and looking at the camera?
I enjoy receiving the annual greetings from friends and family, near and far. Although I’d rather pick up the phone and call to see what’s new, I’m grateful for the end-of-year updates in our mailbox, because life is busy when you’re raising kids.
I’ve made it my practice to use this space in November to write about gratitude. It’s fitting, as we celebrate Thanksgiving and honor our military veterans this month.
Veterans can teach us a great deal about purpose, leadership, work ethic, community, cooperation, duty, integrity, honor, courage and much, much more.
At an early age, I was inspired by the veterans in my life. I remember my grandpa for his work ethic, his dedication to service and his respect toward others.
October is Co-op Month, which provides an opportunity to raise awareness of the cooperative model. It’s a trusted, proven way of doing business. It’s a tool for building resilient and inclusive communities. And it’s a story worth writing about, again and again.
In fact, amplifying the cooperative story has long been the charge of North Dakota Living. It’s been that way in every monthly issue for 70 years. We are proud to be the leading publication that connects our statewide cooperative network from east to west, north to south, and all places in-between.
