When a community is hit with a storm, like what the Festus, Missouri area experienced this last weekend, an ironic dynamic between a break and a bond is created. A paradox of both damage and depth present itself.
When a storm rolls into town, anyone can be affected. Regardless of someone’s age, gender, race, job or financial status, if they are located within a vicinity of storm, they and their surroundings are vulnerable. The rain, lighting and wind has no biased intention or plan of what tree, yard, fence or house it will damage. It just does its thing without judgement.
In the aftermath a storm, a strong community then does “its thing” without judgement, as well. There is no hidden motive or agenda in helping one another out. Perhaps because we have all experienced the same storm. Despite varying levels of storm damage, we all share the commonality of surviving the same event. We can genuinely emphasize with each other in our feelings of overwhelm, confusion, grief and sadness. We bond over all that is broken and we work together to clean up the damage. Oddly, a powerful storm has the power to renew connections, deepen comradery and strengthen trust.
Having lived in several other places outside of Missouri in my past, I can feel a cultural difference of how supportive people in our Festus-area are with one another. I have been impressed to witness authentic care and compassion over the last couple days: City Halls opening during the storm to provide shelter, people communicating dangerous areas, neighbors uniting over chainsaws to clear trees from roads, businesses allowing people without power to come in and hang out, acquittances knocking on doors and reaching out to check in on how people are doing. Offerings of shelter, safety, comfort, food, toiletries and more, with no expectations of a returned exchange.
When a storm (literal and figurative) blows through our life, we do the next best thing: we pick up the itty-bitty and big pieces of debris and we rebuild. Quite often, the puzzles we had once assembled, and admired, are now broken and the pieces are lost. But, we persevere and figure it out, like we always do. We create something new with the remaining puzzle pieces. We, then, have a new work of art to admire and a survival story to tell.
I am proud to be in our community. Please reach out if you need help. It is okay to ask. We got you.
Another local establishment who compassionately helps with healing:
