Time to Grow Together

As I write this, my prayer is that COVID-19 is under control by the time you read these words. The outbreak of the coronavirus stopped each of us in our tracks. It changed everyone’s perspective on what is truly important to us ­— as individuals, as families, and as members of our community. We survived. This past month, on several occasions, I was reminded of what makes our community my home.

Recently, a dear friend laid his father to rest, and a few short weeks later, that same friend, Butch Brown, also died. Unfortunately, Butch’s work was not done, as he was working to prepare a home for his 91-year-old grandfather. In the shadow of a pandemic, his friends and others in the Hickory Flat community rallied. This team of volunteers completed weeks of work in a matter of days, in honor of the Browns and the love of a family, to make certain that “Papa” Brown had a safe place to call home.

That kind of passion — a dedication to the happiness of our neighbors, the desire to fulfill a wish and make it come true for someone else — is what fills a group of people with love and builds a strong, solid community.

Coretta Scott King once said, “The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.”

We saw food drives and deliveries to children who are dependent on the school district for care and nourishment because their only option was to stay home. People donated their own limited supplies to support the elderly and infirmed, so they could stay safe in-house. Teachers opened personal lines of communication to provide parents with resources and help them continue teaching their children at home.

Helen Keller, a great student and teacher said, “Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much.”

It’s important for us to remember that life is not perfect. It’s OK to shelter or seek solace from what befalls us. It’s significantly more important, when the time is right, to harness whatever it takes to gain a foothold and rise again, to be bolder and brighter than we were before, be a positive influence on others, and enjoy the marvels of being renewed, refreshed, and resilient. Root firmly, find courage, push forward, and grow.