Community after the blizzard

In the Chicago area, from what I can gather, things went rather well during the blizzard.  People had advance warning to stock up on groceries.  Most stayed home and didn’t get stuck and become part of a crisis.  Even the newscasters were commenting on how the blizzard brought people together to help each other.

Before the plows came

I pray for my condo community, which is part family, part neighborhood.  I pray for cooperation, support, fellowship, harmony, peace -- those qualities we want to see in our neighbors.  Sometimes there is no clue as to how things are going.

Johanna looking for snow to shovel

About 10 pm, Anita called from the building at the other end of our complex.  "My truck is stuck in the drive.  I've tried everything and can't move it.  I'm going inside now."

So, is anyone cut off from God’s love and care, even during a blizzard?  It cannot be.  Where God, good is ever-present, no one can be stuck outside that universal goodness.

Within minutes I saw from my window a young man running down the snow-filled drive with a snow shovel.  It turns out his brother had pulled in and was stuck behind Anita’s truck.  Both men helped her get her truck into a parking slot, and within a few more minutes, their van was also in its parking slot.  She was so grateful.

Lauren peaks the local Matterhorn!

The plows came during the night after the wind stopped, and the next morning (after the snow had stopped).  Nearly everyone spontaneously moved their vehicles so the plows could clear maximum parking slots.  Owners were chatting and laughing as they congregated in little groups to watch the plowers do their swift work.

My heart filled with gratitude to see this sense of community and good-will in action. 

Peace and silence afterward

Paul understood that nothing could separate him from the love of God -- and he had been jailed, beaten, betrayed, ship-wrecked, snake-bit, stoned and left for dead -- he had proved the oneness of God and His creation every day of his missionary life.

I was glad to see a glimpse of this oneness after the blizzard.

A different Easter

In church this morning, a woman told this story. To me it illustrates loving one’s neighbor as oneself. It illustrates the very best in human nature.

On Good Friday last year, their home in Tennessee, along with many others, was badly damaged by a tornado. Surveying the damage, they estimated that it would take months to clear away the debris. Every tree in their yard had been destroyed.

Imagine their surprise on Sunday morning when they looked into their yard and found it filled with neighbors and strangers who had come to help clean up. This family had been on the giving end of charity before, but never on the receiving end. It was very humbling.

The wife approached one of the women, “I can’t believe you are all here on Easter Sunday.” The volunteer replied, “If we can’t help one another on Easter, when can we?”

In two hours the debris had been cleaned up and hauled away. The family was in awe, and deeply grateful.

That volunteer, it seems to me, had a sense of church that went way beyond a physical building. She was living her sense of church.

Neighborhood at its best

Terry’s friends and neighbors came from miles around to hear her grandson’s jazz band. The five boys set up in his grandmother's backyard, which comfortably seated over 60 people.

Terry forestalled noise complaints by inviting all her neighbors via flyer and email: "Bring your lawn chairs and snacks to share!" Only the string bass was amplified, so the decibel level was kind.

These were high school kids – a sophomore on string bass, three seniors – alto sax, tenor sax, and drums; and an extra drummer who, as a college sophomore, added some pizzazz to the charts he played.

The boys performed a two-hour program including music by Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk.

These kids were good. It is amazing to me at least, to find musicianship of this caliber at the high school level.

What’s the spiritual perspective? It’s about finding God’s goodness shining past all the negative stuff the media spews out. It’s the tough guy singing his puppie to sleep; it’s Lorenzo treating horses with respect and finding they’ll do anything for him; it’s kids dedicating themselves to making the world a better place by playing beautiful music.

It’s about parents and grandparents and neighbors who celebrate young people as they venture into new responsibilities and new arenas.

It’s neighborhood at its best. Thanks Terry!