The devastating pictures from Helene have my heart breaking this morning. Some of my favorite places have been completely destroyed. I know this storm affected many states, but the crisis in NC and Tennessee is the majority of what I have been seeing. All of Western NC is cut off from the outside world. No communication. No roads. Some of my favorite little mountain towns just washed away. Completely destroyed. Emergency personnel are unable to get to emergencies. People who need rescuing are stranded.

My relief that the storm bypassed us for the most part, has been replaced by horrific sorrow for those who weren’t so lucky. It will take years to recover. Do people in the mountains even have flood insurance? It will likely be weeks before power and communication are restored. The loss of life will rise as reports become available. However, I predict that out of the storm will also come stories of resilience, unity, compassion, and human kindness. As always, tragedy brings the best and the worst with it.

There are never the “right” words for this kind of catastrophe, so I won’t even try. Instead, I offer a blessing.  

Blessings to you who have survived the unsurvivable. You who have watched all that you have disappear in a moment. You who are crying and weeping for the losses inflicted by a terrible, yet oh-so-real, storm. Who knew that one day would change your world with such magnitude?

Blessings to you who have lost loved ones. Who, in the horror of the conditions and trauma of the storm, had your heart was bludgeoned with loss. You whose emotions are as raw as the physical scrapes and bruises of a day of horrific difficulties. You who are numb with the shock.

Blessings to you who are digging yourselves out, literally, from debris, mud, and rubble. You who are excavating your lives into piles. You who are trying to determine what can be salvaged and what must go.

Blessings to you who watched your memories wash away. Taken by the flood into the muck and mire. The holy made profane by the wind and rain. Unrecoverable items of sentiment. Treasures of traditions. Your tears are sacred prayers of sorrow.

Blessings to you who are the helpers. You who face danger, climb poles, traverse flood waters, drive/fly into hazards to save others. You who put yourselves at risk to bring others to safety. You who separate yourselves from your own families to reunite others with theirs.

Blessings to you who are true neighbors, jumping in to do whatever is needed for whoever needs it. You who show human kindness to strangers. You who invite others in. You who walk with those who are in need. You who give of yourself to lift others out of the pit in so many ways.

Blessings to you who pray for the afflicted. You who use your faith to beseech God on their behalf. You who allow your prayers to move you to action. You who listen to how to be the hands and feet of compassion to those in need.  

Blessings to you who are brokenhearted. You who are trying to find your way out. You who are overwhelmed. You who are in need. You who are crushed in spirit. You who are weary, already.

May the comforter comfort you. May love wrap you in his arms. May peace flood your heart, as the waters flooded the ground. All-consuming peace. May you find grace for the moment in each second you have been granted. May you see compassion that renews your faith in humans and in God. May you see and be kindness to those around you. May you receive every blessing. Amen.