After the Boston Marathon bombing, the words used to describe the recovery of the city were “Boston strong.”
After the devastating tornado that ripped through parts of this state April 27, I’m thinking many of us are embracing the concept of “Arkansas strong.”
It’s been so heartening to see the outpouring of money and physical help for people who were left with nothing but a few photos and scraps from their lives.
There is an amazing array of ways to help, and that’s a good sign. Arkansans are strong. They are loving. And when it comes down to the wire, they are there to help.
My mother works with the clothing ministry at our church, and she’s often called upon when things like this happen. Of course clothing isn’t at the top of the list right now, but it probably will soon be a real need.
People have come by to bring donations of clothing and bedding in response to the disaster. So far she has helped a family from El Paso, several from the Pathfinder School and some people in the military who lost everything.
As she put it, “I feel we are blessed by the opportunity to help out in any way. And we try to stress to everyone we help that God is behind it all.”
We have a member who facilitated the beginning of a disaster preparedness ministry, too. He got a trailer and has worked diligently since late last summer to get it stocked with emergency supplies. They headed out Tuesday morning to lend a hand, and went back out on Saturday.
Another friend from church, Kara Swayne, says that she’s “thankful the Lord provided a way for me to help quickly in a small way for folks in El Paso who have also found themselves with big needs to fulfill.” How blessed we are, she says, to have access to get care to people who need it, and to have a church group that jumps in and responds.
It really does take a village.
Times like this can be harmful to our bodies as well. There’s stress, the aches and pains of digging through the rubble, and mental fatigue that can sometimes be the worst of all.
When I was starting junior high, lightning struck our house, and we lost a lot in the ensuing fire. We were displaced, and my parents had to scramble to get us into a livable situation so we could return to some sort of normalcy.
Looking back, I think they might have been hard-pressed to say they were thankful for anything at that time. I lost all my new school clothes and personal mementos, and Mom’s clothing fell apart in the washer because everything was nylon back then. But we were alive and well, and still a family.
I found an article from a 2010 issue of Psychology Today that was written by Susan Krauss Whitbourne. It’s titled “Giving Thanks: The Benefits of Gratitude.”
She writes that being thanked and having a reason to thank others are two sides of the same gratefulness coin. Both exemplify the positive in human behavior and provide us with a charge that boosts our emotional balance.
But don’t get me wrong; I know that many who experienced the tornadoes’ effects might not feel like being thankful right now, and rightly so. But judging from news reports, there is a thankful, positive attitude going around in the hard-hit areas that is heartwarming. Those affected really do appreciate the help and comfort being shown to them, and many are very vocal about it.
Whitbourne wrote that the expression of thanks can be its own reward. And, I think, it can make us want to help out even more. Everyone benefits when thanks are freely given and just as freely acknowledged.
The article also mentions psychologists Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough, who point out that gratitude is the forgotten factor in happiness research. They say that the benefits of expressing gratitude range from improved physical health to enhanced mental alertness. And people who express thanks are often more likely to offer emotional support to others.
Expressing gratitude in our daily lives might even have the positive effect of staving off certain forms of psychological disorders. Researchers have found that habitually focusing on and appreciating the positive aspects of life, even though we are facing struggles, is related to a generally higher level of psychological well-being and a lower risk of psychological problems.
As Little Orphan Annie said, the sun will come out tomorrow. There will probably be feelings of loss, grief and frustration in the days ahead, but in Arkansas, you don’t have to go through it alone.
Email me at: rboggs@arkansasonline.com
ActiveStyle, Pages 26 on 05/05/2014