May, 2010

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See for yourself.

Monday, May 10th, 2010

I could tell you about the piles of personal items out on the streets.

Or I could tell you about the sore muscles from ripping out cabinets, walls, insulation, and every other thing in a water soaked home.

I could tell you how I teared up as I cleaned out Terry’s linen closet, as he apologized for the mess. I could tell you how I was embarrassed for him as strangers emptied his bathroom cabinets and took every private item into the public front yard.

I could tell you that I have never seen anything like this. Bellevue, a suburb of Nashville, looks like a third world country. No home was spared from the rushing Harpeth River. I could tell you about the smell. About the devastation. About the fact that this broken community has a long way to go to recover from this disaster.

But you can see for yourself.

What you can’t see? The spirit of the people. The massive amount of volunteers moving from house to house, following the bright yellow “VOLUNTEERS NEEDED HERE” signs.

You can’t see our hearts breaking and being restored in the same instant. You can’t see the devastation and remain unaffected. But you also can’t see my neighbors serving each other and not be strengthened.

You can’t see the stories. You can’t see the moments when everyone in the home stands still and listens to the owner tell of the days before the flood, not because it matters, but because it heals.

You can’t see the piles of laundry or the piles of dishes because when the Nashville government asked us to conserve water, people actually DID IT. And we avoided a water crisis because everyone actually conserved water.

I hope your community NEVER has to endure something like this. No, it is no where nearly as massive as Hurricane Katrina, but it is painful none the less. It is loss. It is heartbreaking. It is life-changing.

But in some ways, I’m grateful. We would not know the heart of Nashville if we wouldn’t have seen it for ourselves.

- – - – - – - – - – -

What can you do to help Nashville?

Pray for us.

Donate to help flood victims. [Or get some swag- very cool.]

Come visit- either to volunteer [Mission Trip Summer 2010 anybody?] or just to hang out. [We can meet up at Frothy Monkey- you know I love that place.]

Posted in Nash-livin' | 16 Responses »

Internet Nerd.

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

I wanted to make a joke about being “bloggy-promiscuous” here, but really. I think that’s probably inappropriate. I’m not sure of the level of inappropriate, but it is probably somewhere above my average don’t-write-that level.

“Internet nerd” is a good enough title I guess, but it lacks zing.

Sorry.

But here’s the thing. I’ve got some fun writing stuff going on this month all over the internet, so I wanted to make sure you knew about it.

First of all, my sweet friend [and writing mentor] Denise Hildreth asked me to guest post for her this month on her singles blog- Flying Solo. So everyday this month, I will be writing about how to find community and the importance of community when you are single.

So I think you should subscribe cause otherwise you are going to get SO sick of clicking over from my blog. :) Also. I write about my friends, interview a single girl in NYC, and talk honestly about being single ALL THE LIVELONG MONTH. Get ready.

Here are the first two posts:

I’m reluctant to link to this next piece I’ve written, mainly because it is so raw and honest that I almost wish I would not have published it. If you’re a writer or a blogger, you probably know exactly what I mean. I cried like a baby when this post was complete. But I’m going to link you to it because I am so proud to be a part of SheSeeks, I want to give you the opportunity to read it.

But seriously, no pressure. :)

[This part is cool- it's on christianity.com as well. So. That's kinda crazy.]

I head back to Nashville today. I have tons of bottled water and a sad heart. The river, I hear, is slowly receding. And the people are being beyond beautiful about the whole thing.

Some Nashville links:

  • Nashvillest – still the greatest place for info [scroll down a few posts and you will see an absolutely heartbreaking picture of the Opry. Sigh...]
  • Section 303: We Are Nashville - it made me cry.
  • Giving Money- if you want to help and you aren’t in Nashville, I would recommend giving through Crosspoint Church. Just make sure you mark “Flood Relief Fund.” You can trust that every bit of that money will help my neighbors.

That’s enough for you today. Thanks for your love and support to Nashville. Don’t stop.

On a lighter note, I painted my fingernails Shrek green. And I love it.

Amen.

Posted in AnnieWrites, Nash-livin' | 10 Responses »

Stories of rain.

Monday, May 3rd, 2010

I’m not in Nashville right now, but just reading, watching, and hearing the stories of my friends surviving the floods is unbelievable.

It happened like this in Atlanta in September. The water came so quickly. No one could prepare- and even if you could, how do you prepare for five feet of water in your basement? Creeks become rushing rivers and yards become ponds.

The power of water. Sheesh.

I wanted to blog today about my trip to NYC. And I will soon. But something just feels wrong about making jokes and being silly and working hard to combine words correctly in such a way that will make you laugh at my hijinks. [And laugh you will because, hello, my life is ridiculous.]

I don’t feel like laughing when so many that I care about are suffering.

I wish I was there. My house is fine, my electricity is still on. In fact, I think some friends are sleeping in my bed. And I wish I was there to be with my people as they deal with this stuff. I’m sure I’d be sick of emptying buckets about 14 minutes in, but I still wish I was there.

There’s this thing about Nashville. And maybe this is true in any emergency situation in any place- the people rise up, higher than the water. The community loves. And even on a normal day, I see people care more for a neighbor than for themselves. So when something like this happens and as I hear stories of my friends loving my friends and caring for each other, I ache to be there to be a part of our community.

A lot of pictures and links and clicks can be found through Nashvillest - possibly the coolest and most reliable source in the city. Those girls work hard making sure they know the scoop in Nash.

Also, you can see what others said on twitter using the search term #othersituation2010. [The first situation was the blizzard in February- yep, I missed that one too. What's up with me leaving Nash and the weather going nutso?]

For years, we will tell stories of this rain. It’s historic. It’s unbelievable.

If you want to help, either in Nashville or in another city, click here to read how you can.

If nothing else, pray. Pray for my friends and pray for my city.

Posted in Ze Bloggy Goodness | 15 Responses »

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