January 10, 2017 • Page 2 shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com Brothers By Daris Howard I had just moved into the area and was new to the church congregation when I was asked to be a clerk and set up accounting on the newly purchased computer. The older clerks had never used one before. One Sunday I was in the office visiting with the other two clerks when I mentioned Samuel. Samuel was around seventy years old and had just remarried. “Samuel remarried?” Lane asked. I nodded. “Just yesterday.” Lane simply said, “Interesting,” then walked out. Harold, the other clerk, shook his head and said, “That is so sad.” “What is?” I asked. “You’re new here,” Harold said, “so you don’t know, but Samuel and Lane are brothers. At one time they were the closest friends you could ever find. They helped each other plant their farms in the spring, and then they helped each other harvest in the fall. They shared equipment and just about everything else, too. Then, about twenty years ago, something happened. They haven’t spoken a word to each other since that day.” I sat there and pondered that for some time. I had worked with Lane as a clerk for over a year. I had also been in Samuel’s shop and spent time with him doing woodworking. I really liked both men, and it was hard to fathom this division between them. One day, when Lane and I were the only ones working in the clerks’ office, I decided to bring up the subject. “Lane,” I said, “Harold told me you and Samuel are brothers. What happened between you two?” He sat back in his chair and was quiet for a long time but finally spoke. “You know, no one has ever asked me that before. Everyone just avoids it, afraid to offend me. But I guess because you’re new, you don’t know that.” “I’m sorry if I offended you,” I said. He shook his head. “You didn’t. But the sad thing is, I don’t even remember what it was that caused the problem. There was some little thing, and it just seemed to grow bigger and bigger. It was all so stupid.” I didn’t say much more. Instead, the whole time we continued to work that day, Lane talked all about himself and Samuel as young boys. They had obviously not only been brothers but also best friends. Some time later, visiting with Samuel, I had a similar experience. These two men couldn’t even remember the wedge that separated them, but when I asked them why they didn’t become friends again, they both said basically the same thing. They didn’t know how. A short time after that, in the icy cold of January, Samuel went out to feed his cattle and fell, with a hay bale landing on top of him. He injured his back and couldn’t move. His wife found him almost frozen to death and rushed him to the hospital. Through the family grapevine, Lane heard about it. Samuel’s wife called some men in the community, asking if we could take care of the cattle, but when we went over there, the work was already done. Lane came to greet us and smiled. “Samuel’s my brother. I’ll take care of everything.” And Lane did take care of everything for months, well after the time Samuel came home. Their friendship renewed, and they became best friends again. About five years later, Lane passed away. Samuel was there at the funeral. As I patted his shoulder and offered my condolences, he said, “It was all so stupid. My biggest regret is the twenty years that we could have been friends but wasted it instead on something we can’t even recall.” Samuel has now gone to join Lane, but the memory of them comes back to me each year as I make my new year commitments. I always vow to put away hard feelings so I don’t end up with regrets in place of years of friendships. “WHEN I WAS LOOKING FOR A JOB, I PUT THE CLASSIFIEDS TO WORK!” Our Help Wanted Listings Have Hundreds Of Opportunities For You... erested in this spot? • Full-Time • Part-Time INTERESTED IN THIS SPOT? • here. Call 665-5884 to place your ad Permanent • Temporary ll 665-5884 to e your ad here. www.missourivalleyshopper.com nterested in this spot? 319 Walnut • Yankton, www.missourivalleyshopper.comSD 605.665.5884 www.missourivalleyshopper.com ll 665-5884 to e your ad here. erested in his spot? ll 665-5884 to ce your ad here. Doc wasn’t really sure just why he woke up so early this morning and went outside. It was cold, of course, as the first day of any new year is supposed to be. He and Mrs. Doc had watched some television of the parties taking place around the world, but then, about 11, he began thinking of the mystery he was reading, and how comforting and nice it is to lie in bed and read each night as part of a years-old routine. So he went to bed and read. Mrs. Doc came in a few minutes later. “Guess we’re getting old, Honey,” she said, smiling. “Can’t even stay up to watch the ball drop, can we?” Doc smiled back. “Any doubts about their ability to get that ball dropped on Times Square? Me neither. They must be getting pretty good at it by now.” So now, with the coming of dawn, with the coming of a new day, a new month, a new year, came an old Doc. New year, but the same back yard. The trees get bigger and I get older. But maybe the trees and I get a little better, too. That’s something to kinda latch onto, isn’t it? Doc walked over to the compost bin. Frozen, of course. And he looked at it and thought about the internal workings of the compost bin. Despite the cold, there are worms in there chewing up old stuff and turning it into new stuff, and the new stuff is better than the old stuff, and the worms are earning a living doing it. What’s wrong with this? Nothing. I guess that’s how it goes, if we’re lucky. Doctors get old, but they still deliver brand-new babies, with no warts or scars on them yet, and no one has taught them to be mean to others. Not a bad deal. Not a bad deal at all. MV Shopper Good News from the State’s MV Shopper M I S S O U R I VA L L E Y In Print and Online! • 665-5884 M I S S O U R I VA L L E Y Financial Report By Gov. Dennis Daugaard This past week the state budget office issued South Dakota’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, or what those of us within state government sometimes refer to as “the CAFR.” The Bureau of Finance and Management made the report public on the Friday before New Year’s Day. Just like a business, each year South Dakota prepares audited financial statements. These statements are required by law, and are used to qualify us to receive federal funds. The report is also reviewed by agencies which evaluate our state’s credit worthiness. The annual report includes our state government’s complete financial statements. Also contained in the report is information about the state’s economic conditions and outlook, the profile of the government, major initiatives, and a financial analysis of the state’s funds. The report is then submitted to the Department of Legislative Audit for review. The report for Fiscal Year 2016 shows that the state is in a strong financial position. For the 30th consecutive year, Legislative Audit issued an unqualified “clean” audit opinion, meaning the CAFR is materially accurate. This marks the earliest CAFR release in 20 years. When I first came into office, we were finishing this report in June – almost a full year after the close of a fiscal year. The hardworking staff at Finance and Management made it their goal to do better, and each year since then, they’ve been issuing the CAFR more quickly. They’ve now cut the timing in half. By moving the date up six months, this marks the earliest CAFR release in 20 years. It’s important to complete this report promptly. The report helps inform budgetary decisions and is one way our state is meeting rating agencies’ expectations. It is also a tool for the citizens who must hold state government accountable for its management of taxpayer dollars. Improving our state’s financial practices is one of my highest priorities, and I am proud of the progress we have made in the last six years. South Dakota has obtained AAA ratings from all three major rating agencies. We have built and maintained a rainy-day fund that is ten percent of our general fund budget. We have been conservative in estimating revenues and expenses. When we have one-time money to spend, we have used it to repay debt early, secure an existing asset, endow an ongoing expense or create a new asset. South Dakotans must responsibly manage their money in order to stay in business and take care of their families. They expect their government to do the same. Our just-issued CAFR validates that South Dakota’s state finances are in solid condition. Nelson Sworn In To Second Term As South Dakota Public Utilities Commissioner PIERRE – Recently re-elected South Dakota Public Utilities Commissioner Chris Nelson took the oath of office Jan. 3 to officially begin his new term. The oath was administered by South Dakota Supreme Court Chief Justice David Gilbertson at the State Capitol in Pierre. Nelson has served on the PUC since January 2011, when he was appointed by Gov. Dennis Daugaard to fill a vacancy on the commission. 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