By Carla Ramsdell

Well-meaning far-away friends ask – “How are things there? Have y’all RECOVERED?”

I know they mean well, but … How do I answer?

RE-COVER …. To cover again?

What does this even mean? 

How will we know when we’re there?

Will we ever be?

Will I ever see this landscape returned to the day before it all happened?

Will I hike these majestic trails someday without the continuum of reminders? A mudslide here,  a pile of downed trees there, a gouged river bank, random bits and pieces of people’s belongings slowly revealed as the river RECOVERS it’s new natural path…

It simply can’t all be fixed – we can’t RECOVER it all & we’re settling into that reality. Time will slowly restore but on a scale longer than the life span of those impacted.

And yet – while the landscape will never be quite the same – truly never – neither will our community – truly never.

In RECOVERING we have grown undeniably stronger.

Hugs with neighbors – especially those we spent those first days with, are tighter & fuller, they last a touch longer.

Waves & smiles from familiar passing cars are more genuine.

Conversations in passing are deeper – we learned more about each other & that RECOVERed connection is lasting.

There are more plans for community gatherings.

It ends up in the raw aftermath we RECOVERed what it meant to really care, to be together, to check in on each other, to share a simple meal. To toss aside our busy agendas to look for opportunities to serve each other.

RECOVERy is so complicated & I have learned, can be so beautiful.  Those involved now share a common bond.

While I wouldn’t wish this on anyone, I feel so grateful that I was here to experience the love that was shown and the relationships that were formed in those first days.

I know that in my later years, those days after the storm will stick with me as some of the most genuine moments of human connection I may ever have with people I barely knew. 

It’s a type of connection that you just can’t make up.

You can’t try to experience it without facing this epic shift. I wonder how many others experience this true RECOVERy.

The wild thing is that while the RECOVERy of the landscape is so brutally slow, this RECOVERy of human connection happened almost immediately. Let that sink in …. It feels good to recognize and embrace our shared humanity & the authenticity that was there instantaneously in that moment of need.

So – I guess my answer to my friends’ questions about our RECOVERy is “Well … yes, sure – we’ve RECOVERed a lot & I hope that will last a long, long time! Thanks for asking.”