I once overheard Barry County described in a barbershop as a black hole that always pulls you back in after you thought you were out. I bet the Barry County Jail detainees who recently tried to vacate the vicinity early also feel this way.

Cassville has been in a difficult season. So many friends have suffered loss and trauma we feel a collective grief.

Very few people have the mental fortitude to handle the job Brian Martin has carried out since 2006. Retiring this spring after 39 total years on the job, Martin handles the kind of crime that typically does not pass the Cheerios test.

The seasons of our lives are many. From Ecclesiastes 3, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under Heaven.”

Spending countless hours over the years breaking down cardboard boxes has been both a tedious and rewarding experience for me. At first glance, it may seem like a mindless task, but it has become a therapeutic ritual that I’ve come to appreciate.

It’s June, and that means its vacation season. It’s the time of the year when families start loading up and heading somewhere to recharge from the daily hustle and bustle of our normal lives, or start planning for that blessed day.

The heart of Cassville has been exposed in the last two weeks, as we have faced tragedy after tragedy with little signs of slowing. The first break in the barrage came Sunday at the courthouse square, where more than 100 people gathered on just seven hours’ notice to grieve, love, support and uplift one another through whichever loss was affecting them most.

Our little community has been struck by an unimaginable amount of tragedy these past few weeks. Whether you knew none or all of the people or families involved, the weight on the community as a whole is tangible.

If you’re like me, then you know the confusion of being a young adult, and if you’re not at this age, I’m sure you remember. There’s this drive to experience life and the need to start planning your life all rolled into one.