By Lois Hewitt

Ting. Ting. Ting.  The sound of rain on the roof.  A sound we have all heard thousands of times.

Yesterday that sound played different.  Yesterday that sound caused panic.

The weather here in WNC has been beautiful since Helene blew through. This has been a blessing for recovery efforts.

Yesterday as I sat, I heard that sound of rain hitting the metal roof.  I ran to the window and saw leaves blowing in the wind.  Panic overcame me and I wasn’t the only one.

I used to love little light rainstorms in the spring and fall.  Light rain as leaves fell from the trees.  A great memory.

That is all different now.  I have heard many other people in the area voice the opinion that now we fear flooding.  Now we fear weakened trees dropping.  Now we fear more problem with water we still can’t drink or use to cook.  Now our perspective is different.

Helene not only changed lives and landscape, it changed how we feel. It upped our fear factor.

Flash floods happen here all the time due to mountain run off.  They were a nuisance and sometimes caused damage. They were something we were used to. That has all changed.

Like with any trauma, your emotions and nervous system go on high alert.  No one will ever forget the images of the flooding, the trees down or the devastation we drive by and through everyday.

Truly collective trauma.  We ask ourselves when will it be normal again?  When can we go back to the way it was?

Normal will be a new one.  We will feel joy again without guilt.  We will see rebuilding and and will accept that which isn’t. Life has a funny (not haha) way of moving on and we will all move on as we grieve the lives lost and the lives changed.

I hope we all remember that as the light shows more and the veiled darkness fades, that neighbors and communities helped one another.

No thought given to politics, religion or lifestyles.  Help was offered to one and all.  No questions asked.  I pray we all remember the so many who fought through their own hardships to lend a free and open hand to anyone in need.

Trauma does that…it unifies and dictates a better sense of humanity. Through the pain, love shines like a beacon in the dark.  With no regard to personal criteria.

Things are fixing to change again, for the entire nation as well as the world.  As the election draws near, I pray we all remember the humanity, the selfless love and dedication shown to one another. 

That right there is the crux of being human.  A helping hand.  A true sense of gratitude.  An outpouring of love. And groups of people that run the gamut, working together with no division, but a common goal.  As the next few weeks play out, may we remember all that has happened.

And may we all still work together.  That is my prayer. But the human condition always seems to reset back to strife.  I pray this time is different. 

Only time will tell how the next few weeks will evolve. And of course, our tragedy did not impact everyone, so who knows what will happen.

God knows and that’s good enough for me. Personally, it will be a long time until I forget the sights of Democrat hugging Republican. Or Christian hugging a non-believer.  I will remember those beautiful sights for a long time.

For now, the rain still scares me. For now, I do fear what’s coming. But I trust that my God is in charge of all things and that His will be done on earth. 

Be kind to each other.  We are truly all in this together.