In times of hardships, we often point the finger at one another and accuse. Most of these accusations are born of fear. Gossip runs amok. Questions are raised about the fidelity of those we’ve employed or elected to represent us.

Seemingly, that’s the case with Bush Hog. Many are frightened about the possibility of losing one of the largest employers in the area. Many feel out of touch because little or no information comes from the corporate authorities.

So, some compensate for these feelings of loss of control by pointing fingers at representatives of economic development or by criticizing elected officials.

This is wrong and only serves to fuel the fever pitch of anxiety felt in this community.

Our elected officials and our development representatives are working as hard as they can to ensure Bush Hog remains open and a viable economic component of this region.

But these matters take many hours of negotiations and hard work. Much of this must be accomplished out of the public eye because they are dealing with private entities.

Additionally, these negotiations take time. Our representatives, elected and private sector, feel the same pressures as do the remainder of us.

We must pause now and give up a pseudo control over those things we cannot help. We must keep our hands busy, our mouths empty of rumor and gossip, and our minds and hearts positive and hopeful.

This crisis is not of our making. The Crown family did not cause the national economy to falter. We will ride over this bump in the road as we have others — pulling together as community and depending on those who brought us thus far to carry us through the dark times.