Joyous Guilt

I love this town. I know there are wonderful places all over the world. I know there are places where I can go and find my center and get back to me. But this place, this city, this state is nothing short of amazing.
We have complained that the National media has not really been focusing on us in our desperate time of need. But why would they? Before the rain even stopped neighbors grabbed their boats and rushed to areas where there was a need rescuing people trapped in their homes and hotels. Others grabbed food and clothes and raced to shelters that had opened and were all ready filled to capacity to offer comfort. All the inmates at the Sheriff’s Department volunteered to start filling sand bags and as the water rose others gathered at a business development and stacked sand bags to hold back the onset of the rising river. Also as the water rose in this same area people moved quickly to get to the city’s food bank located here and save the food supplies that were going to be so desperately needed.

Two arrests have been made for looting. They were found going through the debris on the side of the road. Just two. We are coming together and did before FEMA ever touched down. No one waited for help to come we helped ourselves. The volunteer organization Hands on Nashville had their web site crash with people looking for ways to help and they are overwhelmed with volunteers. It is beyond heart warming.

I hope it does not stop. It is going to take the areas affected a long time to come back. Most of the people affected did not have flood insurance because they didn’t live in a flood plain. They have lost everything. Jobs have been lost as businesses were wiped out when the floodwaters came through the doors but we will get through this.

I have been beyond blessed during all of this. I have had no damage might have lost a little yard as it was washed into the street but I am fine and for that I am grateful and filled with guilt when I have so much and others have so little.