I'm Gonna Be Alright...Soon As I Get Home

"Home is a place you grow up wanting to leave and grow old wanting to get back to." - John Ed Pearce 

I've been feeling rather homesick lately, which happens every now and then but usually subsides rather quickly. I've been living in Illinois almost a decade now, and even though I spent twice as long in Pennsylvania, where I grew up, I like my life here and think of it as the home of my adulthood.

But with my 15th class reunion coming up next month, I've been thinking a lot about my hometown, Montoursville, and all the people and places I look forward to seeing. I've even been daydreaming about some of the treats I'd pick up from my favorite hometown eateries. What I didn't realize was, as much as I needed my town, it was about to need me more.

On Wednesday, I got an email from my mom telling me it had been raining since Sunday (courtesy of Tropical Storm Lee) and flooding was predicted all over the area. I kept an eye on the Facebook updates of Pennsylvania friends that day, and most people seemed only mildly concerned.

By the time I got up Thursday morning, things had changed. I received a message saying a friend's parents had been evacuated early that morning, that their basement was full of water. Not long after I got to work, I learned that a bridge in the area had collapsed. I quickly realized that this flood would not simply be an inconvenience; it would be a catastrophe.

The water began to recede late on Thursday, giving residents an opportunity to survey the damage. It's substantial. Some people lost all their belongings. Some lost their homes as well. My mom told me one story of a couple who had gone on vacation and returned to find  their house gone. Worse, so many roads are so badly damaged that some people can't even get to their homes right now.

I hate having to watch this go on from 600 miles away. I hate feeling like there's nothing I can do to help my friends and neighbors, at least for now. But it warms my heart to see so many people in the area coming out to help each other, donating their time, their money, and their belongings to people who need them more.

It's an emotional weekend all over the country, given the commemoration of the anniversary of 9/11. I've always been bothered by people who compare their personal struggles to the terrorist attacks ten years ago, but in this case, I think the anniversary offers important perspective. This storm has destroyed homes, ruined belongings, and turned roads to rubble. But all that stuff...it's just stuff. That's easy for me to say, of course. My parents' house is safe on a hill with an in-tact road leading up to it. But I don't know anyone who would disagree, especially today.

I'm grateful for my friends and neighbors who are helping their friends and neighbors in their time of need. I am humbled by the concern of my Illinois friends who want to help. And I am more eager than ever to get back to Montoursville. We really need each other right now.