The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Life!

March 19, 2010

Adversity makes me thankful for ties

Inside Out

By Bev Davis Register-Herald Senior Editor

The unexpected floods last weekend brought more than their share of chaos and upheaval. They also brought me a new appreciation for the ways adversity draws people together.

I live in the Pax area where residents have seen more than their share of high water over the years. Although Fayette County was not under a flood watch, most of us expected some blocked roads and major inconveniences on Saturday.

What we didn’t expect was more than 3 inches of rainfall in a couple of hours.

Sunday afternoon, as I walked through Weirwood, a community that lies about half way between Pax and Cirtsville, I heard the harrowing stories from parents awakened at 1 a.m. Saturday with their homes totally surrounded by water. I cringed as young moms and dads shared how they had scooped up small, half-asleep children, scrambled out of their homes and waded waist-deep water to get to safety.

Neighbors who woke up soon enough — or some who had stayed up knowing how quickly Paint Creek can rise — called other neighbors to warn them. Thankfully, all their efforts came in time. With daylight came the news that despite the loss of furniture, vehicles, carpets and other material things, everyone in my town had survived.

With all of the panic that came on a dark, rainy night and all of the dingy debris littering the landscape the next morning came one of the best things about living in a small community. Folks who had suffered great loss themselves were quick to visit other folks and offer help. Neighbors I hadn’t met before became new friends.

There’s something inspiring about sharing common hardships. People who spent Sunday ripping up carpet and carrying out damaged furniture were quick to offer help for someone like me who experienced only the minor nuisance of a washed-out driveway.

I’m sure communities throughout the area experienced what ours did, as we all pooled our collective concern for one another and stepped in to help out wherever we could.

It’s so much easier to pass through a crisis when we feel connected to others. If you think about it, that’s how most friendships are formed. We connect with co-workers who share certain common woes on the job. We link up with people within our churches, as we pray for and encourage one another through a serious illness, the death of a loved one or concern over family members and friends in the armed forces serving in hot spots around the world.

Perhaps the ties that bind us are stronger during adversity because they weave together strands of love, faith, hope and mutual respect in ways no other circumstances can accomplish.

— E-mail: bdavis@register-herald.com

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