4:40 AM started the SIMH of the day. “Barbara Ellen” is an old Scottish Celtic folk song (how old I don’t know) which was first published in a song book in 1840. A version with the same tune is called Barbara Allen and is tied to a much longer poem by the same name. But, it was on my mind this morning and though there was a meeting again of the square table discussion group, it remained in my conscious mind until now (7:20am) while I’m writing the days blog. That’s not a record, but it is a good long time for these songs to hang around. Maybe it’s because Barb once had an old relative who sang that to her as a little girl. She loved playing it on the piano when we first dated, that would be 60 years ago. Whew!
All of us need to examine whether there is something we can do for the East coast (now) flood victims of all that has come after HF. This is the worst flooding I can recall, and I’ve seen some bad flooding, even in a couple of them. One of the floods in Mobile took nearly everything in our house. But, friends arrived to help us and salvaged probably more than we would have left on our own. One friend came into the house, went straight to our closets, carried out arm loads of hanging clothes dirty from flood waters, took them back to her neighborhood and split them up amongst her neighbors and told them to start their washers!—and what needed to be dry cleaned got taken to the cleaners! Amazing help! (this was an unusual lady of “society” attitude you never would have dreamed would have dirtied her hands, yet there she was.)
Another friend rode 165 miles on his motorcycle and spent a day carrying everything salvageable out to trucks and hauling it to where we were moving—more work in one day than I ever saw a man do. At the end of that day, he took a shower (in cold water), got back on that bike and road home, no thanks necessary. He has now gone on to be with the Lord. We were more thankful than could be expressed for this kind of unselfish giving, but it is lovingly tucked away in our memories of him and his family!
A couple of years before that flood, we were in Hurricane Frederick (also Mobile), which blew the front off a restaurant I owned. Two friends, one who has gone to be with the Lord, the other has just this week lost his wife, came down to Mobile one day; tore out the damaged front of the building and rebuilt it with a new design. They, too, did the work in one day and drove back home, a 180 mile drive. Amazing friendship! Terrifically timed help! From friends far away!
In looking and reading about the Carolinas’ coastal towns, the flooded farms and overwhelmed sewerage and other damaged utilities, we should all examine how or if we can help. Who do you know there you can help? (If you don’t have any contact, you might be more hindrance than help, but if you know or have a secondary acquaintance relationship, can you help?)
Remember how the Lord said it is more blessed to give than to receive. But, those who receive welcome you as an angel of mercy, I can assure you.
Thanks for reading, the Elder
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