April 9, 2011 will be a shared memory for members of Newell, Fonda, Varina, Nemaha, and nearby communities. A series of tornadoes passed through and left a path of destruction. Homes were lost; homes were damaged. Outbuildings were destroyed; livestock was scattered. Lives were changed. The loss, itself, is devistating; but the mess . . . oh, the mess.
Utility repairmen are working superhuman hours, volunteers are rallying, and donations are flowing. The time has come for us to come together and take care of our own. Given a magic wand, I would make the mess go away. We all know; however, that those wands don’t exist. Instead we have everyday people doing what they can to pick themselves up and move on. Since I can’t provide the wand, I want to be a part of the picker-uppers.
Our junior high and high school students, joined by the students from a neighboring district, walked fields today gathering the debris. I am NOT glad the devistation happened, but I am glad our students had this experience. I am glad they experienced walking plowed ground for five hours only to look back and realize that countless hours of work still must be completed. I am glad they saw the tears and exhaustion on the faces of those who lost their homes. I am glad they ate a lunch that didn’t fill their bellies, walked away with blisters, and went home to collapse into their beds. I hope they absorbed the day in it’s entirity, and I hope they remember. This is the stuff that builds character and muscle, generations and community, men and women. THIS was an education.
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