By Edward P. Noga
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The other morning while taking my morning walk just before sunrise, I ran into a friend who was going to the downtown bank where he works.
We made some joking comments about being out so early, then chatted for a few moments about our families and the changes downtown. One of us commented (remember it was very early morning, so I don’t exactly remember who said it first), “Well, we have to play with the cards we’re dealt!”
How true! As I finished my walk, I thought about the “we” part of that statement. Yes, each one of us is dealt a hand (call them the “cards of life”), but part of playing that hand is being surrounded by family, friends, coworkers and often people we don’t even know.
I immediately thought of former Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams, who told the community over and over again that we had to learn how to “grow smaller.” His comments were primarily a response to the Valley’s tremendous loss of jobs following the closings of the steel mills along the Mahoning River. We all know that the job losses were followed by many families leaving for jobs elsewhere.
With all the wonderful quality-of-life resources we have, including a very reasonable cost of living, our reality for decades has been a reduced population and limited opportunities for our younger generations.
I don’t like to admit it, but we know that some of the cards we have been dealt have caused the region’s population to remain basically the same for the past five census counts — from 1980 through 2020. While other regions have gained jobs and population, we, like some other Midwestern cities, have struggled with the stark reality that we need to be more creative and bring forward more visionary community leaders to help us “grow smaller.” It’s worth the effort because we have so much going for us.
My early morning encounter, on a corner in downtown, also made me think of a very personal experience with my good priest friend, Father Steve Popovich, who passed away this past January. Steve was one of those “bigger-than-life” individuals who was a people person, very athletic, rather boisterous at times, community minded, and truly “pastoral.”
A tragic car accident 10 years ago left him mostly paralyzed. The early years following the accident saw him repeatedly in the hospital going through numerous surgeries with very aggressive follow-up rehabilitation therapies.
Eventually he was moved back here, closer to home, and began picking up the pieces of being a priest and doing what he could to continue his ministry. His sister Marge published a book on his life, “Have You Seen My Brother?”
In one of the interviews Marge gave about her book-writing experience, she told the interviewer, “Whatever assignment he drew (as a priest), he threw himself into it. Steve truly believed God would give him the strength to do something about the situations he faced in life.” Hmmm. Playing the cards he was dealt?
Both Mayor Williams and Father Steve remind us that we are sometimes dealt challenging cards in life. In our own ways, and with the help and support of those around us, we must play out that hand. Our attitude and our support system (“cheerleaders” of all kinds) can make all the difference.