Agendas for building community

On Friday, May 10, 2024, we gathered to honor the life and legacy of Arch Cape resident and community icon Marney Beemer. The Cannon Beach Community Church was filled with her family and friends as we shared stories and rejoiced at being part of her life.

She’s the third community icon to pass this year, following Dr. Bob Wayne and Dave Rouse. All of them made profound positive impacts on the people around them. How did they do that? Maybe it’s because they had values and commitments that formed a positive purpose. Maybe it’s because they organized themselves to live into that purpose.

Maybe they each had an agenda.

Do you have an agenda? I mean the underlying intentions or motives that inspire you or drive you, get you out of bed in the morning and keep you going. My agenda involves good governance, based on trust and respect. Even though governance is defined as the process of making and enforcing decisions, it’s all about addressing the needs of the people and our place. You can look it up on Wikipedia, or you can just ponder for a moment what it means to you as you create order and meaning in your own life.

Dr. Bob, Dave, and Marney showed what a person can do to make the world a better place. They showed up with kindness or a sharper edge of wisdom, all designed to share themselves and get folks moving together in a positive direction. The venues are different: a hospital emergency room and a Medical Reserve Corps volunteer organization for Dr. Bob. For Dave Rouse, a Sheriff’s patrol car and a girls’ track team. For Marney, countless school activities and an example of intelligence, fortitude, and elegant grace for over a hundred years. Imagine living to almost 104 years old with grace and grit!

For me? Oh-so-many meetings on individual and community needs are my venues for building community. Some people run for public office as a form of warfare, defeating and smiting other people to triumph through conflict.

I’m more interested in asking good questions, looking for your good ideas and heartfelt passions. Your pain points and grief matter to me, too. If we listen to each other with respect, we win. If we create and maintain trustworthy relationships, we win.

If we tell our authentic and honest truth to each other, if we ‘fess up to our shortcomings, errors, and doubts, if we listen to the same from others? That provides a foundation for trust. Maintaining a good percentage of honesty over time builds on that foundation to form and maintain trustworthy relationships.

What lights me up and inspires me is growth and development. In people, in organizations, in whole communities: if we’re growing and developing goodness together, I rejoice. If we see life as our participation in a growth curve, enjoying the ride together is the best. Let’s ride!