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THE MEANING OF COMMUNITY
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As I write this, we are just coming out from under the storming of Hurricane Ida. We here in Mobile came out safely, with a great deal of rain but minimal (relatively speaking) wind. The same cannot be said of southern Louisiana, and especially New Orleans.
Sixteen years to the day that Hurricane Katrina devastated that area, people again are suffering loss of life, of property, of communications, of safe food/drink. I have a specific “dog in this hunt”—a brother and sister-in-law live in Baton Rouge, and I have not been able to contact them. I pray they’re safe, but I wish I knew.
But I have seen other images on Facebook besides the maps of destruction and the reports on the news of weather-related conditions (tornadoes, flood surges…). They are images of fleets of line workers with their trucks, heading down from places like Tennessee, ready to help restore power to those who depend upon it for air conditioning, for refrigerator operation, for lighting, for being able to speak with loved ones outside the area. I praise the Lord for these workers’ generosity and willingness to help. This is community.
Our country is badly divided in many ways, especially socially/politically. It’s a shame that a storm might bring us (or some of us, anyway) back together, but once the storm is a fact, it’s great to see the positive response we can make to offset the disaster: we are neighbors; we take care of one another; we realize our common humanity is far more important than our differences of outlook.
This is why, in the two weekends after this coming, our announced collection for relief for the victims of the earthquake and Hurricane Grace in Haiti will now be divided equally with the people of New Orleans. I can only encourage everyone to be generous as possible. We in Mobile (and in much of Alabama) know the impact a hurricane can have (and we know those that have had that impact). “Turnabout is fair play,” as the saying goes. It’s time for us to help. I know we will, because that is the meaning of community—all together, one for all, all for one, whenever there is a need. Yes, Cain: we are our brother’s keeper.
