Some reflections on the overwhelming power of community
My hometown Asheville was hit hard by Hurricane Helene last Friday. Much of the city and the surrounding towns are destroyed. Houses were/are underwater, some split in half by trees. And many are still without power, food, water, and cell service. With every glimpse of what happened, and what continues to happen, our hearts break a little more.
But for every moment that causes our hearts to shudder and crack, also comes moments that do the opposite–moments that pull together the pieces that have broken apart, that offer stitches and patches to mend the holes, that bring us that good type of healing that only love can provide. Receiving check-in messages from friends (and even just acquaintances) around the world. Witnessing the immediate and overwhelming willingness of people to help out in any way possible. Hearing about neighbors supporting one another in the aftermath of the storm. These are the moments I’m talking about. These are the moments that are keeping our hearts from shattering.
For most people, there was a period of at least 12 hours (much longer for many) when no one could find or access phone service (it is still limited). No way to call someone for help, no way to let your people outside of Asheville know that you were or were not okay, no way to know if your people within Asheville were alive and safe. That was a scary position to be in, whether you were in Asheville blocked from the outside world or outside of Asheville unable to reach the people who are your world. But despite this seemingly perfect recipe for disconnection and isolation, that’s not what happened. What happened was that people decided to come together, to support one another, to be each other's life lines. Community showed up, perhaps in a way I’ve never seen or felt in my lifetime.
It seems that everyone touched by this situation is coming out with these stories about the power of community. I want these stories to be remembered, to be honored, to serve as reminders of our true human nature–that we CAN and DO still exist in community, despite so much in our world urging us not to live this way. We, the people of Western North Carolina, know otherwise, and we have an opportunity to show the world what that looks like.
