Most of you have probably heard about the flooding that occurred in Vermont this week. Our wonderful village of Ludlow seemed to take the brunt of the storm as our beautiful mountains poured the constant rain waters into our lakes and rivers until they spilled over onto our roads, parking lots, homes and businesses. Boulders and trees followed making it impossible to navigate in and out of our area..
It is daunting to see your community so devastated, but here is what I know about times of struggle -- people actually help each other. People stop squabbling over the things that don't really matter and pick up their shovels and rakes, put on their rubber boots and gloves, then shoulder-to-shoulder get busy repairing. Already, excavating companies are busy moving rubble, lumber and rocks out of parking lots and off of roadways with amazing efficiency. In less than 48 hours, there is significant improvement, though it will take much time and effort before we will be "back to normal".
We are thankful that our innkeepers, Mitch and Joel, their home and our Inn (the building and main grounds) were unaffected by the flooding; however, if you read our last blog, our beautiful waterfront has been destroyed. Here's where we started:
First our dock was whisked away in the rising waters, then our new pergola got struck by a large tree and just couldn't hold on. But as I say in the title, 'we hold these things "lightly"' because they are only things, not the neighbor, friend, workmate or family member that actually give life substance and meaning. Here's where we ended:
We are praying for those who have lost much, much more and are so thankful for a village that will be working for the good of his/her brother and sister over the next weeks to get us all back on our collective feet.