Wednesday, September 16, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
5
Commentary...
Unfathomable losses across our beloved state
By Carol Statton
Columnist
Unfathomable.
That is the word that
continues to describe all
that has and is happening
within our beloved state. As
I continue to read updates
and pray for all who have
been affected by the fires, I
think back to my own spe-
cial places. Many of us have
created important memo-
ries and rituals in the areas
affected; areas that also con-
tained unique and beloved
businesses and communi-
ties that became a part of
us. So many lives have been
affected and there has never
been a more necessary time
to respond.
How many of us here
on the east side of the
mountains always stopped
at Rosie9s in Mill City
when traveling towards
Salem? (According to the
Statesman Journal, Rosie9s
is still standing). How many
of us heading to Eugene
waited to have breakfast
until arriving in Vida, to
eat at the Vida Café (which
appears to have survived)?
How many families made
it their annual ritual to buy
a new cherished ornament
at Christmas Treasures or
find their Christmas tree at
the beautiful Spring Creek
Holly Farm? How many
people simply looked for-
ward to the drive west on
any of these two main high-
ways, because of all the
beauty that encompassed
every single mile. Every
single mile held some of
the most tremendous beauty
one could hope to find.
Just recently, my hus-
band and I traveled both of
these highways while going
to and coming home from
the coast. Heading towards
Mill City, and despite not
even being hungry, we
planned our stop at Rosie9s.
There was simply no ques-
tion of if we would stop 4
we always stopped. And,
we almost always ran in to
someone we knew from our
area. This day was no differ-
ent and we saw our friends,
the Weston family. We vis-
ited for a few minutes and
then continued on. My hus-
band turned off Highway 22
and drove towards Scio, en
route to Lebanon so that I
could visit the farm of my
early childhood. The beauty
of the land was captivating
but we also noticed how
dry all of the areas were.
Uncharacteristic for the
<wet= side of the mountain.
We couldn9t have imagined
that many of the areas were
about to sustain unfathom-
able losses.
So many people have
lost their homes and
businesses; so many are
still at risk of loss. Lives
have been taken, precious
belongings and irreplace-
able keepsakes have been
destroyed, people9s sense
of security has been shaken,
and yet through the kind-
ness of strangers, reborn
on some level. We9ve been
here before and no doubt
will be again, but this time
the level to which our state
is suffering, along with all
of our fellow states in the
West, is unparalleled.
All of this is happen-
ing just as we remember
another unparalleled attack,
devastation and tragedy:
9/11. I remember thinking
that there would never be
anything equivalent to that
in my lifetime; no equiva-
lent threat, fear, challenge
or loss. I truly believed that
our country would never
have to walk through, heal
from or overcome anything
even close to those events.
And yet, although very dif-
ferent, here we are in 2020,
walking through unparal-
leled times.
Do you remember the
beginning of this year?
Many of us were planning
our vacations and celebra-
tions, many had wedding
dates secured with invita-
tions sent out. So many
people making so many
plans... without any idea
that everything earthly
was about to change. We
could never have imagined
a pandemic shutting down
our country and taking so
many lives throughout the
world; we could never have
believed that unresolved
racial tension would cata-
strophically worsen and
send some into a state of
violence the likes of which
we couldn9t believe still
possible... and then, the fires
came. All of these events
are still happening; all are
still impacting and threaten-
ing life as we know it.
However... there is so
much more happening
within it all. And just like
9/11, the darkness will only
be parted by the light of the
human spirit responding to
the needs of others. God
designed us to respond, to
reach out from the depth of
our spirit to take care of one
another, to right the wrongs,
to heal the wounds, to meet
the needs of all who are suf-
fering. We are capable of
being a light that will pierce
through even the darkest of
times. God9s light, hands
and heart... responding
where needed and without
thought to how we may or
may not feel qualified. We
are all qualified to respond;
we are all qualified to be the
love that provides a heal-
ing balm to any wound, no
matter how deep.
We must remember what
we have walked through,
we must remember the les-
sons and examples, we
must treasure the special
places and people, while
striving to rebuild when
all seems lost. We must go
on while helping others to
go on. We must meet the
needs of those who have
lost so much... we must be
the light in this seemingly
impenetrable darkness. It is
only when coming together
that we will find our way
through the unfathomable...
when the human spirit can
meet unparalleled needs
through response, compas-
sion, kindness and self-
lessness. It is our mindful
response that creates hope
even in the worst of times
and defines us most clearly.
I pray that at times such as
this, we remember enough
to compel us to do all that
we can do, for others.
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