Mayor’s Message

A Wonderful Life

When the days get shorter and the weather gets colder, we know the holiday season is officially upon us. Among the hustle and bustle, and the food and family, I sometimes break away to watch one of my favorite classic Christmas movies. I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I have to watch It’s a Wonderful Life with a box of tissues. You might recall the 1946 movie starring Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey in the small town of Bedford Falls - an ordinary town that, despite his best efforts, George is never quite able to leave.

One Christmas Eve, George finds himself overwhelmed by despair, feeling the weight of his struggles and convinced his life is a failure. He believes his absence would make no difference to anyone. With these thoughts consuming him, he stands on a bridge, contemplating a jump into the icy waters below. In this critical moment, Clarence approaches him—a kind and curious stranger who is, unbeknownst to George, his guardian angel. In his anguish, George exclaims to Clarence, “I wish I had never been born!”

The angel grants his wish with a “glimpse” of what the town and the townspeople would be like had he indeed never been born.

What he saw astonished him. Bailey Building and Loan, which he had stepped in to lead after his father’s unexpected passing, had long been closed, leaving many exposed to greed and unable to own a home. The types of businesses operating around town had changed dramatically, reflecting a rude and coarse community. Family relationships and the circumstances of individuals he cared about had drastically shifted for the worse. This glimpse of what the community might have been like without him opened his eyes. He realized that the life he had perceived as ordinary and insignificant was, in fact, extraordinary because of his existence.

I’ve learned that, like George Bailey, most of us will not travel the world doing rare and overly remarkable things, but we too can open our eyes to realize that the richness of life is best found in the relationships we build and maintain. Consistent, caring actions that build personal connections greatly impact the community as a whole for good. Your life and your efforts matter, and while you might not always perceive that, you influence others in meaningful ways.

Thank you for the vital, if not always visible, roles you play as part of the intertwined fabric that keeps us bound together in our hometown that we call Washington City. It is my prayer that as we wrap up and put a bow on 2024, each of us will see value in ourselves and others, and remember that we truly have a wonderful life here.

 -Kress Staheli

Mayor

kress@washingtoncity.org