I have come here several times in the last weeks to post, and not knowing what to say, say nothing. How this "place" will function for me is still being worked out. Still brewing, like a strong tea.
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The recent floods in the midwestern United States have touched my community deeply. New acquaintances lost their home. Many others have lost their homes as well. Many local farms will have a long road to recovery ahead of them, if recovery is even possible for them. Acres and acres of lost crops. Crops that help feed our nation. Crops where planting dates and productive time in the soil means everything. The reverberations of that loss will touch us all. The recovery process of the community, the county, the families, will be ongoing for a long time. To try and describe the flooding to people who didn't see or experience it... the words "unbelievable" and "indescribable" are the only words I can produce. Even now, a few weeks after the flooding, the aftermath in many places is still unbelievable and indescribable. People need help. Everywhere. People like you and me. Two-income families. One-income families. No-income families. Families who were making it through before, now need help. Families who struggled before are struggling more now. They need clothes. They need shelter. They need food. Federal help will go to those at or near poverty level. The rest have to try to rebuild their lives on their own. Imagine you lost everything. How easily could you replace it? Have you ever felt fear? Despair? Depression? Our families and our communities need our helping hands. And our prayers.