JUST A THOUGHT
There is a group of people standing around after a disaster waiting for someone to help them. One man goes over to a damaged building where the owner is sitting in front, on what is left of his steps. He is in a daze, not knowing what he can do to get his life back.
The stranger says that he would like to help, starts to lift up a small limb that he can carry. He then carries this over and places it in a corner of the property where it is out of the way. The owner sees that someone thinks things can be made better, gets off his step, and joins in. Now two men are moving limbs. Not only can they move two limbs at a time, but can move a larger limb that takes two people.
Soon, another man comes over and starts helping, and then another, until everything that can be lifted is moved out of the way of the house. Some are even trying to remove the limbs that fell on the house, but these are too large and heavy so their progress is slow.
A man next door to the owner comes over, says that he has a gas engine chain saw, and proceeds to cut the limbs into smaller parts that the other volunteers can handle. Soon a worker comes by with a small crane and volunteers to help. He lifts all the heavy branches off the room where the men can cut them with the chain saw. The other men carry them away and place them with the other limbs they have stacked.
Along comes a man with a dump truck and says that he will haul the limbs away if someone will help him load them. They all join in and soon the truck is full and the man drives away with his load.
While this is going on some of the bystanders start feeling that they can be of help and tell the owner that they will help him clear out his house and clean it up. The owner's wife is already cooking a meal for those that have given so much of their time and effort to help strangers. She is lucky that
she has a gas stove that will work in a power outage and much of her food is still good for use. Soon a group of strangers, that are now good friends, sit down for a meal together.
The bystanders look on in amazement and wish they had helped the lonely owner when they had a chance. The eaters call over to the bystanders and say to come and join them and they will share their food with them. A short time later many strangers, now friends, are volunteering to help the people next door. Everyone wants to help this kind man that gave up his gas to fuel the chain saw to help his neighbor, and very soon this area is cleaned up and the neighbor that had been volunteering sees his home coming to life again.
One of the best parts of this action is seeing strangers become friends, and all joining in as a large group to clean up what damage they can. It only takes that few who think of others as well as themselves. When the area is all recovered and people go back to work they all wave and shout to each other because they are now friends.
People blame God on letting a hurricane cause a disaster, or say that there is no God because he would not allow such a thing to happen. It is said that he works in many ways unknown to man. Was he showing the people again? I wonder that they were getting too far apart, and it is time to become friends
rate
email
print
link to this page
Comments: 5
We must pull together to share with each other our talents. Together, we will survive. Alone, we may not.
Thanks for your wonderful articles.
will be there for any one of us. All we need to do is " Ask, and ye shall receive.." there are many stories and parables told in the Bible. If one was reading passages
from the Bible each day they would learn much about our Lord and His plans for us. The Bible is there to help us through our daily struggles. Many places where
people live in the same area, but they really don't know their neighbors; or take the time to do so. Until a situation arises, like a disaster of some sort; then one by one they join forces to be of help to their fellow man. We need more friendshipping
in many places to make things come to a full head. " Love thy neighbor, as thyself "
"Do unto others as they would do unto you " Be the first to lend that helping hand
and you will see love and friendship blossom.
In minor emergencies we all have a skill or resource we can add to the job of recovery. In a major disaster relying on our own ability to recover is an option that will be forcibly taken from us, no matter how well we are prepared.
Part of our being prepared should include awareness of how our response agencies are organized. We should work to insure that their policies include as much common sense and community involvement as possible and that any outside involvement from agencies like FEMA will be at the request and direction of local government.
I'm not trying to be negative, just realistic. I look forward to your next article.