I Heart Music City
There have been quite a few moments over the past several days when I have broken into tears over the beauty of the human spirit and the sense of community that I’ve witnessed. Nashville and the surrounding counties of Middle Tennessee experienced a flood that resulted in devastating loss of human life, property, local landmarks, jobs, and infrastructure. It has been said that a flood of this magnitude could be expected only once in a millennium.
People of every race, religion, age, and community have come together in Nashville to help their neighbors in need. Supplies are being donated in great quantities. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been raised. Men and women are showing up at places destroyed by the flood waters looking for any way to help. Those who experienced only minor damage to their homes or possessions are reaching out to those who have more severe losses. Volunteers from parts of the city that may not have seen as much flood water are driving to other areas of town, getting out of their cars, and getting to work on the rebuilding process. High school students whose classes have been canceled are cleaning up their own campuses or other homes in their community. The examples of goodwill go on and on.
Much has been made of the fact that Tennessee is not receiving a lot of national media attention for what is clearly a natural disaster of great proportion, and that lack of a spotlight is a shame. If the TV cameras would turn toward Nashville as quickly as they would to a celebrity getting out of jail or to the latest act of senseless violence, the viewing audience would discover a beautiful city that has seen no looting, heard no loud cries for D.C. to come and save us, and felt no sense of defeat. It’s been amazing to observe and experience first-hand.
I’m not saying that every person in Nashville is joining hands in a state of peaceful brotherhood. There have been scattered selfish acts among the selfless ones and there is always the hindsight vision of what could have been done better. But, in a time of crisis, I cannot imagine there is anywhere else I would want to be.