Triumphs amid destruction

I was having a hard time gathering my energy and wherewithal to work today. You see, we had horrible weather Friday night into early Saturday morning, with at least one tornado on the ground for 25 miles totally destroying people's lives within seconds. Although my family and I were spared the unthinkable experience, we have friends who were not so lucky and took direct hits to their homes in the wee hours of the morning while we were all sleeping. None of my personal friends lost their lives, but there were four confirmed deaths and that's four too many.

I think, now having had a full day to let the reality of the destruction sink in, and having looked at several posted videos of the areas so affected, my energy and "wherewithal" have been zapped because of the devastation I have seen and heard about. It's a very overwhelming and helpless feeling....even though I personally lost NOTHING but some sleep....I feel helpless to help those in need. I mean, if it were me in those pictures, I keep thinking, where do you begin? Do you just bring in a bulldozer and scoot the debris to the edge of the road? Do you sort through dresser drawers and try to salvage your personal items that are now soaked with rain water and mud? If so, where do you put it all to save? There's nothing left to even save things in. I see these pictures and I think, How are these people doing this? How in the world are they ever going to recover?

I prayed, "Dear Lord, provide for these people everything they will need to be and feel "normal" again. In Jesus name. Amen."

Then I stepped away from it for a while today. I came back a few hours later and again saw most of the same pictures and videos that are floating around online. But this time, my eyes focused in on something different. This time I saw the hundreds of volunteers with chain saws, trash bags, plate lunches, bags of donated clothes, and all with open arms for hundreds of hugs shared with those in need. I saw picture after picture of electrical company men and women hard at work trying to restore electricity, repair downed lines, replace sheared poles. My heart melted as I saw those so willingly doing what needed to be done.... hundreds of volunteers taking their time off and helping a stranger in need and not expecting anything at all in return....except maybe a returned hug. It's the triumphs of humanity amid destruction shining through by all of these volunteers and electrical company personnel working to restore power to schools, residences and the community.

My spirits were lifted and I know that as long as we have this type of community of loving, caring, selfless, hardworking people, we all will be alright. It may take days, weeks or even months, but we will be alright.