Yesterday, March 3, 2020, tragedy happened in Middle Tennessee again. Several tornadoes touched down in several counties surrounding my home. Luckily this time Murfreesboro was spared, not so, over a year ago. On that fateful night, not more than a quarter mile from my home a tornado swept through and took the roof off my neighbor’s house. They rebuilt and the house is more beautiful than before.
You may be asking yourself why am I writing about this now. And I wonder that myself. I can only say that when the tragedy struck it made me think back on all the times tragedy/heartache/loss has happened and look at the good that has come out of it. When it (we’ll call tragedy/heartache/loss “it” for short) happens we (me included) think about why did this happen, what did we do to deserve it, etc., etc. It is devastating and the loss of property and life (human/animal) is horrible.
I remember the tornado of 1998 and seeing it as I drove through downtown Nashville and the Good Friday tornado in Murfreesboro of 2009 and seeing it as it torn through the neighborhood near the VA campus. All of those were devastating. The flood of 2010 in Nashville wiped out neighborhoods that are still rebuilding almost 10 years later. All of these though showed the good in human nature. They showed neighbors coming together to help one another. No matter the age, race, sex, nationality. We all became ONE!
Beauty can come out of tragedy. Beauty of neighbors helping neighbors. Beauty in new growth of nature. Beauty in each of us learning that we are stronger than we think and that we can survive. But not only survive but thrive.
Take away from this what you want and need. This posting is ramblings of me reflecting and realizing we can all shine through tragedy. Paraphrasing Annie from the play by the same name, the sun really does come out tomorrow.