I recently heard Florida Congressman Greg Steube remarking on the resilience of his fellow Floridians after they were hit by consecutive hurricanes. At one point, I got to thinking, “What choice do they have?”
Humans have to keep on keepin’ on. What’s the alternative—lie down, assume the fetal position, and wait to die? No—that’s not the way we are wired. We work, we fight, we rebuild, we soldier on.
Congratulations and best wishes to the folks in Florida—I hope there are contributions from all of us who are not directly affected.
Then my thoughts took a turn. I remembered my feelings when my bride of 54 years passed away. After I got done feeling sorry for her and for myself, I realized that almost every loving couple—indeed, every relationship—ends the same way: one will pass, and one will need to go on alone.
And as the grief lessens and the memories grow, humans move on—never forgetting, but keeping alive the best memories and going forward guided in part by those memories. To the good people of Florida—and of North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina and every place hit by storms past and future—do what you do, fight the good fight and, yes, continue with what it means to be human.
“This, too, will pass…”