Pairie View: My Final Column

This column may be a surprise to many of you, but nothing lasts forever especially people. About two weeks ago I was diagnosed with cancer on the bottom of my esophagus. I have been having trouble with severe hiccups whenever I was eating. This started last summer and has been getting progressively worse. The doctor arranged an examination in Camrose where they discovered a tumor on my esophagus and a week later it was found to be malignant which is what we expected. There does not seem to be much that can be done about it. I am not going to consent to heroic efforts to treat this thing as I think all that would do is prolong the agony.

I am not feeling sorry for myself. I have been around now for almost 90 years. Over the years I have been involved with many organizations and I think I made a difference. A little over 20 years ago I started writing these columns as a kind of hobby. Anyone who knew and worked with me knows that I have strong opinions on many subjects and that I was not afraid to publicly express my opinion on the issues. I am not sure how many people understand the real purpose of a column. A column should stimulate discussion and debate among the public on whatever the subject of the of the columnist is. I have never taken offense if someone strongly disagreed with the position I was taking in my column. Sometimes I would respond if I thought that person misunderstand the point I was trying to make. Another reason for me writing columns was to keep my brain active. If you don’t do something to stimulate your brain as you age you tend to get dementia and that sure lowers the quality of life.

Right now, world societies are going through a real metamorphizes. When this pandemic is finally over, I think it would be safe to say that the world will not be the same. Right now, life for many people is very traumatic, especially if their business or work is affected by the shutdowns that have been imposed to control the spread of the virus. While these shutdowns were likely necessary, they certainly did not treat everyone equally. If you have worked all of your life to build a business to support your family and community, and have it destroyed in a few months through no fault of yours it has to be very discouraging. The only thing I can say is, it is important to keep a positive attitude and to take advantage of new opportunities when this thing is over.

Getting back to my problem. I have no idea what will be in my immediate future. I have always believed in God and at this time all I can do is put my faith and trust in Him. God sent Jesus to the earth for the resurrection of our souls. When I leave this earth all I can do is leave it up to Him to decide what will happen to my soul.

Writing this column has given me a lot of satisfaction over the years. I have received a lot of support from my readers, and numerous people have encouraged me to continue to write it. This is my last opportunity and I want to thank everyone for that support over the years. At the beginning of this column, I stated that everything has an end, and so it is with my columns.

Herman Schwenk
Coronation