Helping One Another in the Midst of Life’s Storms

Thursday, September 28th, 2017     by Debra DuPree Williams     One Comment

by Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams


One thing we Americans do well is to look out for one another. While some factions seek only to tear us apart, I just don’t see that as a part of our future. When the going gets tough, we come to one another’s aid in dramatic ways.


 Take hurricane Harvey. Who could have predicted the amount of flooding the poor people of Texas would have to endure? It just wasn’t on the radar, pun intended. At least, not to the extent that was seen. 
But people were hurting, and others heard their cries and came running. Even when they didn’t have to. Even when they put themselves in harm’s way. Even to the extent of sacrificing their lives in order to help their fellow man. The Bible tells us in John 15:13, Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

We haven’t seen quite as many scenes such as those in Texas played out here in Florida. I’d guess that that is due mainly to power outages. Once power is restored, then we’ll be able to see sacrificial giving like that seen in the wake of Harvey.

No doubt, those scenes are being carried out all over Florida and the Caribbean. Last week I told you about a friend, one whom we haven’t seen in over thirty years, who offered us the use of her condo as we fled our home in Tampa. I told you about cousins who opened their doors to us. This wasn’t just a short little overnight stay, folks. This was five to seven people invading their homes and staying for days, in some cases, five long days.

I cannot begin to tell you how thankful I am to the people who came to our aid. I can’t tell you how thankful I am that our home was spared the devastation seen by so many. We still have power. We still have our comfortable bed in our air conditioned home in which to sleep at night. Others have literally lost everything.

But in the wake of Irma, let’s not forget about the good people of Texas and Louisiana who are still trying to recover from Harvey. If you can do nothing else, please pray for those people. And if you have time, please add the people of Florida and the Caribbean to your prayers.

Heading Home
I want to share this story with you. As we left Alabama on Tuesday, heading back to the Tampa area, we had no idea if we’d find food or gas or if we’d be able to get all the way home. We had faith and we prayed a lot.

We saw, parked in lots at the large gas stations just inside the Alabama-Florida line, row after row of power trucks getting ready to pull out and come to the aid of the people of Florida. Trucks from Indiana, from Michigan. From Louisiana and North Carolina. 

 Texas to the Rescue
Then this convoy of  four trucks passed 
us. Each one was proudly flying the

American flag and the flag of the great state of Texas. As they passed us, I waved and put my hand over my heart and mouthed, “Thank you, thank you.” The man on the passenger side of one of those Texas trucks made the heart sign followed by praying hands. I returned his gesture with my thanks. I sat and cried. Here were Texans, still reeling from the effects of Harvey on their lives, yet here they were, coming to the aid of their fellow Americans in the state of Florida.


People can be nasty when they want to. They can wish us ill, but when it comes right down to it, we will always prevail because we know who we are. And we will always stand up for, and with, one another because we are Americans and we always help one another in the midst of life’s storms.

Have you experienced extraordinary giving in these past few weeks and days? Do you have a Harvey or an Irma story to share? Tell us about it here. 
  
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1 Comment

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  1. Marjorie Hill says:
    September 29, 2017 at 10:41 pm

    So glad y’all are safe. Love your site.

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