“As long as you look for the helpers, you’ll find hope.”
“Look for the helpers.” That’s what Mr. Rogers’ mother told him and it feels true today, whether I’m overwhelmed by flood waters, like my hometown Tuesday, or by national or global crises.
On Tuesday, a foot of water flowed down main street of my little hometown, Augusta, Montana. Nestled on the Rocky Mountain Front, where the mountains meet the plains, Augusta’s average annual rainfall here is just under 14 inches. It rained for a few days before flooding, but we weren’t just seeing rain water, of course. We also faced run off from the mountain rains, the overflowing rivers, the full to bursting reservoirs. One of those, the Gibson reservoirs, received 7.5 inches in 5 days. The nearby Dearborn River’s flood level is 6.5 feet. It reached 9.5 feet on Tuesday.
We all know what flooding means, but I looked it up to see if the word “overwhelm” is part of the definition. I kept thinking how so many towns were overwhelmed with waters. 21 counties in Montana declared state of emergency due to flood. Sure enough, one definition says: To arrive in overwhelming quantities. We’re flooded, not just overwhelmed by water, but also by news, controversy, crisis.
One friend’s Facebook status yesterday was: I have national crisis fatigue.
I get it. And we’re not very effective when overwhelmed.
Remember Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood? I’m reminded of Mr. Rogers’ mother. Have you seen the wonderful video where he tells a story of being a young boy concerned about a catastrophe? His mother said, “”Look for the helpers. As long as you look for the helpers, you’ll find hope.”
It isn’t hard to find the helpers during and after the flood in Augusta, MT. Before I’d even realized downtown was flooding, helpers had rallied to fill and place sandbags on Main Street and other homes and businesses nearby. The small town spirit of support I witness soothes my overwhelm and inspires my own action, my ability to be the helper. I see them all around the globe as well.
Check it out! The rain has stopped, at least for now. The water’s going down. Cleanup continues and businesses are opening back up.
Helpers abound and so does hope.