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Nothing or Everything
Following Hurricane Irma, most of the island was gone. Houses, hotels, restaurants, schools, churches, marketplace, and airport. Gone with the wind. Much of our tour of the island of Barbuda was pointing out what used to be here, what stood there before Irma. Boats are still seen in twisted stages in places boats ought not to be. Some are on the bottom of the sea which we viewed from our submarine excursion. What Irma missed, Maria took with unprecedented rainfall. They aren’t sure how much damage the third one delivered – or might have if there had been anything left that wasn’t already destroyed. Three was late for the party; nothing was left to destroy. No one remembers her name. The earthquake buried some of the rubble. If there was more, it wasn’t noticeable.
I noticed many of the houses, cement with pastel paint peeling off, were signed with spray paint, not as fanciful graffiti, but as notices or memos. One read: SOS Missing one. Another said, 2D, 3M, dog missing too. One such message had paint across it, as if all were found. Some of the houses had Bible verses painted on them. Another read, “One more day, thank you, Lord.” Another said, “Praise God in all things.”
When the people talk about the “before” time, I hear no whine or sorrow, nor anger. It happened. On the train excursion a guest asked our guide, “Did you have much looting?” Our guide, her head wrapped in cloth that matched her beautiful dress, stood up, all 6 feet of her, and looked around, holding her head proudly.
“We had no looting. We had two who thought to do dat. The neighbors see dem. What happened to dose boys was SHAME. Publicly. Everyone knew dare names. Da community shamed dem. Parents do not protect da boys, day say, you shamed da family, but you bear da shame by yourself. Now go help your neighbor. Don’t do dat again. We don’t do looting. We do sharing. Shame. ON. YOU.”
She pointed out tables at intervals along the road. She told us those were the neighborhood markets. People bring their extra food to sell or trade for what they need.
“After Irma, the communities fed themselves this way. If your chicken gives six eggs, you keep two and take four to the table for someone who doesn’t have a chicken anymore. Maybe someone has two sweet potatoes and only need one for the family supper. So they take one to the table and maybe get a piece of meat. No one needs looting, you see? No one goes hungry. One day at a time. God provides for those who share. One day at a time.”
And that, Ladies and Gentlemen, might be the most inspiring lecture on virtues I have ever heard.