Finding Community in Adversity
The controversial Reverend Ike once said, “The best thing you can do for the poor is not be one of them.”
I thought of that as I awoke to my radio playing Emerson Drive’s, “Moments.” Country music is exquisite in its ability to tell poignant stories with a few well chosen words. The song is about a man at the end of his hope, ready to jump off the “E-Street Bridge” when a homeless man comes and talks him back from the edge.
In that wonderfully lucid waking moment, I had an “aha.” When I work on myself, I’m not just doing it for me. The healthier I am, the more I can reach out to someone else. Our individual sanity is a community issue. When we figure out our own economic issues, or health issues, or emotional issues, we are better able to reach out and support someone else. And we often discover a better person inside us when the times get tough.
It warms my heart to watch people be more than they think they can be. I lived in Hawaii during both Hurricane Iwa and Hurricane Iniki. Neighbors who’d been strangers were out fixing each others’ roofs; pooling food and water; looking for lost animals.
We Americans show up best during adversity. We put our heads down, our shoulders to the wall, and we all push together. With winter looming and the economy still uncertain, we are there for each other. And it’s showing up all over town.
Yesterday on KNIX radio, Ben & Matt announced a food drive for St. Vincent de Paul, a charity that feeds the hungry. It wasn’t just any old can drive. These guys are trying to get ONE MILLION cans of food for the drive in the next 23 days! What followed this morning brought tears to my eyes.
One after another, the emails and calls were coming in. “We’ll donate!” “We’ll get all 20 of our locations to donate!” “We’ve got our school kids involved!” Listeners were flooding their phones and inboxes. It’s a wonderful, healthy response. Giving IS better than receiving. When we’re feeling helpless about something as intangible as “THE ECONOMY” we feel better if we can contribute to someone else’s well being.
Then the 8,000 pound gorilla stepped up to the plate. Just as I was wondering how I was going to get my cans down to KNIX, Safeway called the radio station. They offered to be the collection point…not just in the Phoenix area, but in their hundreds of stores throughout the entire state- and even into New Mexico! KNIX is going to, by God, get their million cans! Go Safeway!
More importantly, this project is giving people hope… and I’m not just talking about the hungry who will be fed. When we rise to our greater good, we’re reminded that we’re a Community. We feel better. We feel empowered because we are doing something about the tough times, not just sittin’ around feelin’ sorry for ourselves. Because we reach out, we are blessed too.
Thanks, Ben & Matt! That was a great way to wake up this morning! Good luck on your can drive!
And readers – make it part of your holidays to support this project or one in your neighborhood. You’ll feel better when you do. To find out more about this wonderful project go to KNIX Country.
Happy Holidays!
Beth
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© 2008 Beth Terry Seminars, Inc.
