All week this SLICE has played around in my mind. It came upon a Tuesday night, and wrought havoc both near and far. It came with 90 mph winds and storms and tornado sirens. It came fast and furiously.
As tragic as all devastating storms are, no one lost a life in this one in our small community, thankfully. What struck me and stayed with me all week was not the devastation but the immediate outpouring of support and help. Help and support that came from neighbors who also had damage of their own to attend to. Help and support that came just as fast and furiously as the winds of the storms. Help and support that showed up midst another round of storms well before first light was even a twinkling glimmer on the horizon. All during my seven minute commute to school that morning I was privy to signs that help had arrived and gone while many of us tried to get a few hours of sleep. There were already piles of debris by the side of the road rather than in the road. There were tarps on roofs, people everywhere cleaning up - and when I ran home at lunch there were still volunteers offering help and support where needed. It so happened that on this day my students were writing letters to the editor for the upcoming Newspapers in Education Week advertising and student showcase insert. Many students had written about what they felt was lacking in our community. We need an Italian restaurant, a Sky Zone, a mall, a Starbucks or a Target, a travel football team, and lots more "needs." Without asking them to change their letter, I did challenge them to pause and look for signs of positives we have in our community. The next day I had a few students who mentioned the damage and how their mom, dad, grandpa, uncle, friend, neighbor had helped someone with an immediate need. They asked if they could write about that instead of getting a new pool or building an indoor shooting range. I just smiled and told them, "Of course!" Today we'll type and submit our letters. And I'm sure a few will bring tears to my eyes as I see my community through the eyes of a child - a child who recognizes that no matter how you slice it, we are very blessed to live in a small town where folks look out for each other.
17 Comments
Vanessa Worrell
3/3/2017 08:07:59 am
I really love the introduction to your piece. I live in Wyoming and we get lots of wind storms, I remember a storm similar to yours where neighbors were helping neighbors.. glad you are OK!
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Lisa
3/3/2017 11:35:57 pm
Thank you, Vanessa, for your kind words! I am sure you get some interesting storms in WY - it's such a beautiful place!
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3/3/2017 08:12:42 am
Beautiful post - kids really do rise to the occasion. Their innocence has the ability to touch our hearts... That's why we write. To capture or thoughts, share memories and to heal. I love your opening and your use on the power of three - "It came..." I am blown away by your final shot of the Blessed Mother and Child, protected and surrounded by a fence of broken trees - still standing. Thanks for this beautiful reminder
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Lisa
3/3/2017 11:40:08 pm
Thanks, Laurie - yes, kids do rise when we allow them to! I loved that they came up with their own ideas and then switched gears on me. The photo was taken by a talented local photographer for newspaper, Dave Weatherwax, and the contrast is truly striking! (The Weather Channel actually also featured that photo in a brief story, too!)
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3/3/2017 08:24:02 am
Wow! The way to you weave this slice, with some repetition, and then bringing it back to how your students are handling this situation is masterful. I love everything about this- how their focus shifted in the wake of true tragic events.
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Lisa
3/3/2017 11:41:40 pm
Thank you, Katie - those students were impacted and wanted to share their own feelings, definitely a wow-moment!
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Lisa
3/3/2017 11:42:43 pm
Thank you, Diane, for taking the time to read and comment on my slice!
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Judy C.
3/3/2017 10:14:11 am
The coming together to help in times of need - we see that so often and yet the negative always seems to have the headlines. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and those of your students. It is heartwarming that in times of trouble, help is there. Praying that your community will rebuild and recover from this tragedy.
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Lisa
3/3/2017 11:47:14 pm
Thanks, Judy - our community is very close and has already begun the initial steps to rebuilding.
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3/3/2017 09:17:45 pm
My husband just told me tonight about the storm that hit Ireland and about this picture you posted. I hope you didn't have any damage! One line of storms went north of us and the other south. Thankfully, we always seem to miss the brunt.
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Lisa
3/3/2017 11:50:37 pm
Hi, Leigh Anne! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment on my slice.
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3/4/2017 02:13:23 pm
A wonderful sign of learning that students came to it for themselves with only a gentle reminder from you. Valuable for them for their perspectives to be encouraged and valued.
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3/26/2017 08:46:56 pm
Your post reminds us that there is so much more good in the world to outweigh the bad. Thanks for a post that restores my faith in humanity.
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3/26/2017 08:56:52 pm
Now I see the backstory to your poem, Laurie. Thanks for sharing. I am glad that your town was spared of mortal harm.
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3/26/2017 09:02:28 pm
Lisa, I see that the post was from you. I thought it came from Laurie because of the photo. Now I unraveled the mystery with your tweets. Thanks for the post/tweets to clear up my misconception. Devastation by nature is a hard one to understand. During Superstorm Sandy my entire neighborhood had debris and fallen trees. My friend has a neighboring tree fall into her kitchen. It was so disturbing.
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Lisa
3/26/2017 09:44:29 pm
Thanks, Carol, glad to know the mystery is solved! Thanks for giving credit to Dave Weatherwax at the Dubois County Herald for the photo, too!
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