Devastation brings out the best
Did you watch Mister Rogers Neighborhood on television when you were younger, or maybe your children or grandchildren watched the program? I certainly did. It was a delight to sit before the screen and hear the kindly man share stories and life advice in his gentle, common sense way.
A book in tribute to Fred Rogers, “The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers,” written by Amy Hollingsworth, shares some of that valuable advice and wisdom, including a piece of encouragement Rogers once recounted that his mother gave him. When Rogers was a child seeing something terrible happening or witnessing tragedy on the news, his mother would tell him to “look for the helpers.” There are always, his mother told him, people trying to help. To look for the helpers was to see beyond what was scary to what was good and right in the world.
Our hearts have been torn for our neighbors on all sides in the past couple of weeks as Irma and Harvey have ripped their way into the USA. The devastation in Texas has been particularly heart-rending. But like Rogers’ mother once encouraged him, we can look for the helpers – and we don’t have far to look.
It’s been a joy to see people right here in Franklin County, some 700 miles from the destruction in Texas, mobilizing to extend a hand. We’re no strangers to anguish and loss that comes from a natural disaster, and I have been personally uplifted to see the people who have given of themselves unhesitatingly to help others who are now experiencing that loss.
Whether it’s been to go to Texas and help personally with clean-up; to donate needed supplies; or to give a monetary donation, hundreds across our county have jumped to unselfishly help someone else in need. They have shown that destruction and devastation provide a natural opportunity to embrace our common bond in humanity.
In times like these, we can look for the helpers – but we can also be the helpers ourselves.
Russellville City Schools is now taking donations for the system’s “adopted” school district in Lumberton, Texas, and schools, churches and other groups across the county all have their own efforts in progress. You shouldn’t have to look far to find helpers – and to become one yourself.
