Here’s to all the not-so ordinary people

I have known Polson all my life, the curves of the road that lead to old friends' houses, the smell of the lake as you drive down 93, and the sounds erupting from the football stadium on a Friday night under the lights.  

These sensations have painted my experience here, and it’s hard not to get sucked into the natural beauty of a small community like the ones scattered across the Mission Valley. 

Yet, as I set out to write this farewell column, waxing poetic about scenery seems out of place. It wasn’t until I went on a run with a friend that I realized what my farewell should truly reflect.  

You. The people of this wonderful valley are the ones I would like to talk about – starting with the ones who gave me this opportunity. 

I had little experience and a dream and for many that’s not enough. Yet Kristi Niemeyer and Laurie Ramos gave me a chance, believing in my potential. With that chance, Joe Quinn, an old teacher of mine, let me interview him for an opportunity to work at the paper, expecting nothing in return.  

As a kid, sports were my safe heaven here in this valley, so naturally I felt most comfortable writing stories in the realm of the human element of sports. In these stories I learned what true resilience looked like through the eyes of Maddy Illig, which made me root for the Ronan Chiefs for the first time in my life. 

I even got a chance to see athletes like Astin Brown shatter local history and discover the humility of young people like River Gray and Amelia Cronk, who take the weight of being an example to the future of this community quite seriously.  

I also met business owners, law enforcement and restauranteurs and put my camera to work taking pictures of people and events. In these moments I witnessed generations of family pride and care for the community that was bursting at the seams. People like Tom and Val Bartel at Lynn’s Drive-In who somehow still remember orders from people who have long passed and asked about my family as soon as they learned my last name.  

I was invited into spaces like book clubs to hear true and earnest conversation and was treated like a member despite it being my first time.

This community is flawed like all places we live, yet there is beauty – not just in the Mission Mountains or Flathead Lake – but with the everyday people living ordinary lives, if you could even call their lives ordinary.

It has been my pleasure to see and meet the beautiful everyday people of this valley and tell their stories for The Leader. My hope is that I did a good job and that when you took the time to read what I wrote, you mostly saw that in the midst of a world that seems set on tearing itself apart, there is still so much goodness around us.

Thank you for taking the time to read stories that were a pleasure to write.

The Leader staff thanks Kaleb for his good ideas, unquenchable enthusiasm and passion for sports, movies, and the Mission Valley. We wish him well on his next adventure: graduate school!