“Wait for your turn,” my mom would say when one of the family of five would be knocking on the door of the only bathroom we had.
“Your turn is next,” my sixth-grade teacher said as we stood inline at the water fountain.
The Army recruiter said, “your turn” at the draft board as the Vietnam war raged on.
Some 20-25 years ago, the concept of “your turn” surfaced as I was serving as president of the Hillcrest Nursing Home Foundation and we were attempting to do a building remodeling project.
My task was to speak with several local organizations in the community and gather support for the project. Essentially, I was asking folks to follow in the footsteps of the past citizens who built Hillcrest and take their turn at making improvements.
A few years prior to that, I had written a short story about my daughter and thought it may help make my point about the circle of life and how we must be ready to take our turn to help when needed.
I share that story with you now as our area has multiple needs and the McCook Community Foundation Fund is here to help meet those needs:
“The White Teddy Bear”
The shadows of the tree outside the window blended into the hundreds of little rainbows on the wallpaper of her room. She had a lingering cold and it wasn’t often that she cried and wanted dad to hold her until she fell asleep.
Only four years old and she already changed his life forever. Her little arm clutched the next of her white teddy bear who fur was slightly smudged and was showing signs of thousands of hubs and much love.
In that quiet darkness, his thoughts returned to the times that had passed.
He remembered how he helped teach her to eat. How he lovingly secured her in her little highchair. How he cut her food into bite-sized pieces. He recalled the little spills and the drooling. He could still feel his steadying hand as he helped her learn how to walk. He recalled her call from the bathroom, “come wipe me.”
He kissed her forehead as a tear rolled off his cheek and was absorbed by the pillowcase as he watched her drift off to sleep.
The sun shone brightly through the venetian blinds.
He blinked his eyes.
She was now grown, standing beside his bed. She lowered the guardrail, cranked down his legs, placed one arm around his back and helped him sit up.
“The nurse brought your lunch dad,” she said. “I have already cut it up for you.”
She held the clear plastic water glass and placed the straw to his lips. Little pieces of Kleenex stuck to the gray stubble as she wiped the dribbles from his chin.
His eyes gazed across the room to the bathroom door. She moved the walker to the bed and held his elbow as he shuffled across the room. Moments later came the soft garbled call, “come wipe me.”
After she helped him back to bed, she said, “Dad, I brought you a surprise.”
From a brown grocery sack, she gently pulled a white teddy bear whose fur was slightly smudged and showed signs of thousands of hugs and much love.
She placed it in his thin frail arms and kissed his forehead. A tear rolled off her cheek and was absorbed by the pillowcase as she watched him drift off to sleep.
Life is a circle. Seasons come and go. Years roll by. The McCook Community Foundation Fund is here to help our community grow and prosper. To make that happen, we need your help in time, treasure and talent. Now is the time - it’s your turn.
Dennis Berry is a member of the McCook Community Foundation Fund Advisory Committee, and serves his community in a variety of ways…even standing in the cold welcoming people to an event.
McCook's last hometown bakery closed this past week, leaving a void not just for donuts but for connections.
Many organizations and businesses in McCook offer the opportunity to recycle, reuse and repair items that may just end up in the trash.
Organizer for Buffalo Commons Storytelling Festival and former librarian named Oct 2025 volunteer of the month.
McCook's Third Thursdays were created to get businesses and organizations involved and designed to create life-long memories for the community.
Long-time community advocate Barb Ostrum received the Sept 2025 McCook Volunteer of the Month award.
We need to celebrate our young people while they are here and encourage them to return.
While some like myself appreciate a rainy day, others dread them for a variety of reasons. We need to be empathetic as interact with others.
MCFF Fall Grant Deadline is Oct. 1. Complete list of former recipients on MCFF website
With so much going, it is time for a “This, That and the Other Thing” column, where we will cover several topics, not very deeply but hopefully with a sense of humor as we clean up and prepare for a busy week in McCook. *** McCook again made state and national news this week for ice. This time, it was in the form of hail that pounded the community for hours upon hours. Conversations this week begin with “where were you….?” or “how many windows did you lose?” And while they may be legitimate and are offering their services, it is like vultures with all the roofing repair and dent removal businesses which have descended upon McCook following the storm. As city officials noted, do your due diligence with any company doing repairs for you and follow the old adage, which is old and still around because it’s true: If something seems to be too good to be true, it probably is. And one last note on the storm, we need to be careful what we ask for. As storm after storm approaches McCook and then splits in two to go around the town, we finally got one to roll right over us. The storm liked McCook so much it slowed down and just there. I was in Lincoln during the storm and trying to determine when I would drive home. I thought the weather app had frozen or the radar was broken because every time I looked, the storm was still sitting over McCook, doing its damage. I guess we can be thankful the next time a storm seemingly just goes around us. *** We are in the thick of McCook’s Heritage Days celebration. Congratulations to all the Heritage Days Royalty, which was announced at the MNB Bank Mixer this week. A special shout-out to Bill Donze, better known as Mr. Bill and his wife, Kathy, who were honored as royalty for their impact in McCook. As many know, Mr. Bill is fighting cancer and the prognosis isn’t good. The chances of him selling snow-cones and candy out of his van next summer near the McCook Aquatic Center are not good. One judge of his impact was the response to my column about Mr. Bill a few months ago. The post was shared thousands of times, viewed nearly 70,000 times with just as many comments by people sharing their fond memories of Mr. Bill. So when you see Mr. Bill riding down Norris in the convertible this weekend in the Heritage Days parade, send extra prayers and well-wishes to the man who has brought so much joy to so many kids - and adults too - over the years. *** Continuing on the Heritage Days theme, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that the McCook Rotary Club is tossing all egos and formality out the window this weekend. As the president of the McCook Rotary Club, I invite everyone to at least watch, if not participate, in the Rotary’s first inflatable costume relay race on Saturday as part of the festivities in Norris Park. These are those giant, blow-up costumes you usually see around Halloween. The first costumes were usually T-Rexes but now there is everything imaginable available as a design. With the idea for the race originally conceived by Melanie Goodenberger, she has purchased everything from corn on the cob to a cowboy riding a chicken. This is a fund-raiser for the Rotary Club with a cost of just $20 for a team of four to participate in the relay race. But it is also a chance to giggle, perhaps make a fool of yourself and just have fun. Come to the park Saturday afternoon for the Wiener Dog races and stay for the Rotary Relay races. While the dogs will already be close to the ground, the relay race participants will likely just end up on the ground. *** With so much going on in McCook this week, I debated whether there should be another activity the next week but the response has already been great for the Lied’s Arts Across Nebraska’s next production in McCook. Hosted by the McCook Creative District, the Omaha Street Percussion ensemble will perform at the Fox Theater on Wednesday, Sept. 24. There is a matinee showing at 10:30 a.m. but I will be up-front…we are testing the capacity of the Fox with every seat already claimed with students. If that is the only show you can make, please come and we’ll find you a seat but it may be those up in the rafters. Otherwise, please plan to attend the 7 p.m. show on Sept. 24. And even better, there is no cost thanks to the Kimmel Foundation and the Friends of the Lied. This is a busy week and a busy weekend but this is a great opportunity to sit back and enjoy a fun, entertaining evening of live music.
Most likely, we aren't going to be good at something at the start. But that shouldn't stop us from trying.
