When the going gets tough, Wayne rises

We are all uneasy and a little scared.

The constant barrage of news about COVID-19 and the extreme effect it is having on our daily lives just keeps coming — and that has made us all pause a bit and worry a lot.

But now is when we need to stand tall and to be there for each other — just like this community always does when there is a challenge before us.

So, we will take care of the children who won’t be able to get something to eat because school is closed, and we will support the healthcare professionals and first responders who are putting their own concerns aside and working overtime so that they can help us stay safe.

We will thank God for those teachers who are creating an online curriculum on the fly.

And we won’t forget those grocery store and pharmacy employees and gas station attendants who are making sure we can get the supplies we need — even though they are a bit scared themselves.

There are lots of reasons to be wary about feeling one way or the other about what is coming next — the news is good, then scary, then reassuring and then scary again.

We are going to be on this teeter totter of emotion for a bit yet.

But there are a couple of things we want you to think about as we watch and wait.

There are a lot of people who are facing challenges right now.

The business closure order and the restaurant carry-out only restrictions are putting some of your neighbors at risk, people who have stood by this community through thick and thin.

The storefronts that populate downtown Goldsboro and main streets across Wayne County do not have billion-dollar budgets behind them — or the means to carry their employees and themselves through the massive loss of business caused by the COVID-19 scare.

They are your neighbors, small businesses that believed in your county enough to invest their own money to take a chance, to help build a retail and restaurant base that makes this community a better place to live.

But right now, they do not know how they are going to keep their doors open, to weather this storm and to take care of their families and their employees.

We talk all the time about the importance of shopping local. We give mouth music to buying American, to putting taking care of our country and our community first.

But it is not until we have a crisis, until we are faced with uncertainty, that we remember to actually act on those feelings, to do more than just talk about it as we head to the mall an hour away or click a button on our laptops.

But we know this community’s heart. We have seen it many, many times.

We are there for each other.

And now, your local businesses need you.

And we want to take the lead.

We are launching a new service on NewOldNorth.com. We will be featuring local businesses in your community — large and small, new and generational. We will allow them to talk to you in free ads that will run with the content we are providing on the site.

We ask that as you read through our continuing coverage of your community — the good, the bad and the ugly — that you take the time to note the ads that we will feature with those stories.

Then, go out and support them.

You can buy a gift card for coffee to use when this is all over — and rest assured, it will be over.

You can order a pizza or a to-go barbecue dinner for your family to break up the monotony of being sheltered in place.

You can vow, right now, that when the ban is lifted, the first place you will look for a gift, a surprise for your loved one or a night out will be right down the street.

You can remember to say thank you, to respect those who work in the businesses you count on and, let’s face it, take for granted. You can remember that the people who stand behind every counter in this community go to church with you, have children in your local schools and are your neighbors.

And you can remember, too, that there are people right now doing the hard work in healthcare and law enforcement and other service industries that keep your community safe.

We know this community’s heart.

And we know that this is a place where mothers and fathers raised their children with humility, a work ethic and a sense of right and wrong and respect.

And those lessons knew no race, socio-economic level or bank account balance.

We learned respect and faith. We honored our elders and knew what a sense of community meant, and why it mattered.

And when it was time to get to work, nothing stopped us. When the going got rough, we put on our boots, loaded our tailgates and answered the call.

Now is one of those times.

Nothing is going to beat this community because nothing could ever beat this country, no matter how many people try to tear us apart.

Not if we remember who we are and whose we are.

So, let’s step up.

There are neighbors who need checking on, shelves that need filling and businesses that need to know that we are there for them now, and in the future.

We told you we were going to give it to you straight.

We told you we were going to be leaders.

We told you that we were going to remind you of just how much this community is worth fighting for.

And now we want you to join us in this mission #WayneCountyStrong.

Share what you are doing with us on Facebook. Let your neighbors know that you are there to help.

And stop letting people tell you what you can and can’t do. Stop letting people scare you into forgetting just how great this community is and what we have defeated as a county and as a country.

We can do this.

Join us.