Lending a helping hand to our neighbors

By Howard E Cummins

Columnist

This past week has seen an example of how dramatic and dangerous inclement weather can be. While so many parts of our country are praying for rain our region ended up with far too much! Rain that washed in torrents down our mountain valleys and overflowed the banks of our streams and rivers. And subsequently left some major damage in its wake. For many, these past few days resulted in devastating loss.

For a majority of us this past week meant little more than a soggy lawn and maybe a wet basement. Possibly a loss of some gravel from the driveway, or the inconvenience of having a road blocked for a day. Regardless of whether or not you saw a personal impact I’m certain you’ve seen some of the images of the floodwaters and reference to those local communities that were impacted.

I am reminded this week of my Aunt Evvy (for Eva) who lived in Dunam, Ky. She was flamboyant, beautiful, talented, and was a gifted storyteller. I remember one of her story sessions when she recounted the tale of the Little Match Girl, who was a child left alone and hungry. The story finds the child standing outside in the cold, looking in on a family with food and shelter who choose not to see her plight.

I want to thank and applaud all who saw others in need and were able to extend a helping hand, and for the efforts from many others that I know will take place in the coming days, weeks and months. We are a region of the country that takes care of its own in times of need!

And I extend sincere wishes for “fairer skies” to those neighbors, friends and family that have been affected.