Each of us has a different perspective on what is interesting, valuable or important. This was reinforced for me this week as I read the Letter to the Editor by Jennifer Hope in the Nov. 25 Daily Mail. I realized that what each of us looks for in a newspaper is not the same.

In a local newspaper in a county seat town I agree that I want to be able to read about the local businesses, schools, politics and events. I agree that all sports should have equal coverage but realize that unless the coaches and other school personnel assist by sending in the results after an event, it is almost impossible to cover every sport event in four different schools. However, as a mother of a man who is still doing long distance running long after completing his high school races, I also appreciate reading about track events.

In a local newspaper, I also want to hear about my neighbors or those in other parts of the county. Therefore I AM interested in a potluck dinner in Sheldon and appreciate knowing who was there. It is hard to keep up with everyone and these neighborhood news items help us keep in contact. I don't always read every one of them, but I usually skim through to catch any names I am interested in.

The part of the letter that hit close to home for me was the remark about no one being interested in a picture of someone 50 years ago. I would invite Jennifer to walk the aisles of the grocery store with me and hear the comments of the people I meet. One after another will remark that they were so glad to see the write-up or picture about a former resident, an old friend or a historical figure of our community. When you look at the statistics for Vernon County you will find that a large percentage of us are in the Middle Age Plus age range. We like to know that things we did in younger years are still remembered and valued. I imagine Jennifer's sister would be tickled to read about her state championship basketball team in a 2047 newspaper one day.

Once a week the paper has a Senior Page. On this I am commissioned to write articles about people, places, buildings, events, clubs and businesses more than 50 years old. That is not too much space to use for the enjoyment of our older readers. However many younger readers, as well as those who are not natives of Vernon County, have told me that they appreciate being able to get a personal feel for our community's past. The history books are priceless, but hearing someone tell a personal story about the event adds so much more. For this reason I appreciate Neoma Foreman's, Joanne Saathoff's, Peggy Pyle's, Virginia Johnson's, Nancy Malcom's and many other's articles and items as they remember 'the way things were.'

We don't want to dwell in the past. We want to give the children and young people every encouragement we possibly can. But at the same time we need to remember that each reader of the newspaper has different interests and needs.

Each year several of my articles or columns win awards at the Missouri Writer's Guild Annual Meeting. I majored in English, not journalism, in college. So my writings are more like a visit with friends than news.

It is wonderful that Jennifer cares enough to make her suggestions. I applaud her interest. I hope some of her ideas are used in the community and schools as well as in the paper. But "the Lord willing," someday she will also be Middle Age Plus and like to remember the old days again.