Lorraine Buenting crouched behind her fireplace during Sunday’s tornado, her husband hanging onto her for dear life as the wind pulled her down the hall.
They survived, but half their house didn’t. (source)
Derin Scott was home with his five children, the youngest age 2, huddled in the basement when the storm hit. His wife was across town at his mother’s house.
“As soon as my stepson heard the sirens he grabbed the little ones and told his sister to get downstairs,” Scott said. As their ears popped, they heard the house shake and glass breaking.
They emerged a few minutes later, helping several neighbors climb out their windows. (source)
John Ehler, 30, said he and his wife were watching news coverage of the storm when he looked out the window and saw a tornado coming from across the street. Then he saw the top half of his pine tree fly by the window. “It was unlike anything I have ever seen before,” Ehler said Monday.
He and his wife grabbed their 3-year-old son, who was napping, and ducked into the basement. They huddled there for 4 to 5 minutes until the tornado passed.(source)
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These are just a few examples that Google found for me quickly about storm survival and community. I bet there are thousands of more examples, but I would imagine you have heard your fair share of the teacher who covered her students with her body, the family that clung to each other during the raging storms and so many more acts of people helping people off roofs threatened by raging and rising waters. The common thread being people hanging onto people in the midst of a moment of survival. Not often just the lone person who sat in the middle of the storm by themselves and hoped they weren’t destroyed.
It doesn’t surprise us, but it doesn’t hit home until you are in the middle of the storm yourself that you long for the touch and help of others.
Depression, PTSD, PPD, bi-polar, etc. – these are real storms taking place inside people right now. Their insides are popping and breaking, pieces of who they are caught up in the winds and scattered and the safe place is leveled to the ground.
I’ve heard it commented that all of a sudden all these mental health groups are popping up all over the internet and people are being transparent in their struggles. That makes some nervous (but I don’t think it’s because they are “icked” out, but they lack the proper education of what these mental illness and treatments actually are – I am also naive sometimes)
You know what I say to that?
Dangblasted TIME!
It’s time for us to realize that we can’t fight these storms alone and silent. We can survive the moment we can grab a hold of each other and hang on for dear life. It’s time for those of us who have made it through a violent storm to talk about it, how we survived, what worked and what didn’t.
If we are close enough to see a hand reaching to us in the middle of a real storm, I feel it safe to say, that not many would turn away from saving a life regardless of gender, race, religion or disability. We wouldn’t ask questions, but encouragingly shout out over the wind….”HANG ON….I GOT YOU!!” It’s actually more of our human nature than the apathy we have shown towards those with the storms inside a soul.
Can you really turn away apathetically from these groups or could you maybe be willing to find your firm footing and shout over their soul storm “HANG ON….I GOT YOU!!”
How many souls would be touched, changed or saved?
Are you willing to go there?
Categories: Adversity
Why Walk When You Are Meant To Fly 
From Lost To Found: Everyone’s Journey 
And The Dogs Triumphantly Returned As Predicted 
Alycia Neighbours 
This is really a good one, Alycia! You’re singing my song!
I’m in a couple of those groups that have popped up. I first found help for PPD on twitter #ppdchat and then more help on facebook as postpartum depression became bipolar II. I try to be a voice out there help, often I am the voice out there taking the help, taking, and taking and taking.
Isn’t community awesome when we can give and take.