doing "the something that I can"

Today was a beautiful day. There were sunny skies, thin clouds, even a slight breeze to cool a warm day. (Is is really only the middle of March??)

It was the perfect day to put on my boots and muck around in the mud. What would I do that for, you ask?

Well, today I had the opportunity to head over to the West Liberty area which was impacted so significantly by the severe weather that came through the state two weeks ago. Driving in, I have to admit, it was a little bit unsettling to see stretches of trees snapped off and laid out flat.

Yet it felt so good - deep down good - to be able to spend the day with colleagues and students, doing a simple task like clearing out tree branches and logs for someone whose property had been littered with fallen trees during the storm...to spend time helping in even a small way.

Because as we drove through the downtown area at the end of our day and saw just how thorough some of the damage was, I realized how easy it could be to feel useless as the residents there undertake the massive effort of cleaning up, rebuilding and finding a new normal...how simple it could be to think, "there's nothing I could do to help."

But later, as we made our way home, I remembered this quote (which, after checking Google, I can attribute to Edward Everett Hale):

"I am only one; but still I am one.
I cannot do everything; but still I can do something;
and because I cannot do everything,
I will not refuse to do the something that I can do."

Please understand - I totally recognize that the work we did today was just a drop in the bucket...one small - okay, tiny - piece of work in the grand spectrum of labor that needs to be done in and around West Liberty. But how many times do we see disasters on television and think, "wow, I wish there was something I could do to help" (besides the easy step of donating money to the Red Cross, even though that's pretty helpful)?? So when I heard that a campus group was being put together to drive over and help out today, I signed up immediately. This was something I could do to help...something I could do to show care and concern and support for the people there.

And while I wish we could have done more, I am also so thankful for the opportunity we had to do what we did.

Where I am: home
What I'm reading: just finished Micro by Michael Crichton