As locals, we are well aware of the amazing things our community offers. Many come to visit our streets and countryside for events, vacation, tourism, and a taste of the town. Some decide to call Middleburg and surrounding areas home after visiting, others pass through taking a piece of the town and time spent locally with them. To us who live here, it is home. It is our community. It is our village.

People make some serious assumptions about Middleburg and life herein. Like the streets are paved with gold, folks shoot fox, and you have to drive a Range Rover to fit in. Well, I can say first hand, without any question, that people here poop too, there are as many jalopies as Rover's and people in this community genuinely care, demonstrate compassion and link arms to make a difference in the world.

Recently one of the truest of true gestures of kindness, community and love for mankind unfolded right before our eyes. A simple Facebook post about a homeless man in Marshall snowballed in a few short hours to picking him up, gathering his belongings from the woods where he was living under a tarp, getting him a hotel for a few days during the recent wintery weather, a clean shave and hair cut, warm meals, fresh clothes, luggage and a bus ticket to his desired location, which was Florida where he could live outside in warmth.

Literally in a few hours, good Samaritans from all political walks, ages, races and income levels put their hearts forward and made a life changing difference to an individual they had never met. You know the Kumbaya moment is coming. What if…

What if we lived in a world where this was the rule and not the exception? What if we shared fresh eggs with neighbors? What if we made meals for friends in a tough spot? What if we picked up a hitchhiker walking to town in the rain because you frequently see them at Safeway? What if you spend all night looking for a lost dog? What if you plow an older couple's driveway without asking or expecting payment because you were in the neighborhood? What if you surprised someone with an anonymous gift you knew they would appreciate? And what if you had the means to selflessly match donations to a charity that moved you?

Oh wait…This is our Village.

I am sure there are phenomenal acts of kindness in other places around the world. But at present, Middleburgers, you take the cake. I'm honored to walk the same streets.