Texas Floods: Take The Time To Read The Stories

Since the news of the tragic floods in Texas broke on July 4, I’ve been lifting prayers of love and peace on the social media posts that are sharing the tragic stories of the individuals who were swept away or died as heroes. The algorithms are noticing my trends and are filling my feed with even more heartbreaking stories. I read every one of them.

As horrible as this is, I’m doing this because these individual stories need to be read; they need to be honored. Each post is a personal eulogy that I cannot pass over like I have better things to do. What else could possibly be more important than the stories of fellow humans whose communities are devastated and who are just trying to get through the next hour, let alone the next minute, as they shout out to the world their call of love?

We have been numbed somewhat to tragic news, though, haven’t we? And the ease to just scroll on by or switch over to some streaming show has never been more enticing, right?

This is where we have to be intentional and stop the scrolling, stop the streaming, and devote time to feel, deep within ourselves, the emotional weight of this tragedy. I know it is hard to do, to find courage for that compassion and empathy to hold space in our hearts, so that we can act in ways that place the value of human lives above all else. We must do this in how we live our lives, how we love one another, how we hold a greater space for every human who shares a heartbeat.

If we are on either coast or if we border Canada, we can’t minimize the tragedy by saying, “Horrible what’s happening way down there in Texas; it’s a damn shame. Anyway, anybody know who won the baseball game last night?” We cannot allow regional distance to somehow diminish our care or attention to the tragedies around us, no matter how close or far they might be.

If we practice this intentional focus on humanity and all that we share, we can begin to become more attuned to the impacts other events (short- and long-term) may have on us or on our fellow humans.

The world right now is in a lot of pain, and I know that it can be exhausting. But we must not turn away from compassion; we must not ignore the condition of humanity when there are so many in need in so many different ways, in so many parts of our towns, our states, our country, our world.

So I ask you. Please take the time to listen and read and watch the stories, how sisters held tightly to each other, their fingers interlocked together, as they died. Or the father who died breaking a window allowing his family members to make it safely from the floods while he lay dying from blood loss. So many stories of love, of sacrifice, of heroism. Hold space for them. And then hold space for yourself and others in your prayers, your actions, your love for one another. There is no greater gift we can give, both for today and tomorrow, than love.