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Monday, June 23, 2008
Summer, Rains, and Floods
I have been neglectful with this blog lately. Spring rains have given
way to summer floods where I live--roughly ten miles from the mighty Mississippi! If you keep track of the news, you'll
know we're close to flood central. Which means sandbags, Salvation Army, and sandwiches by the hundreds. We
still remember it from '93! Thankfully, my great-grandfather had the foresight to buy a farm on a big hill, so we're
safe. But in never ceases to amaze me, growing up around so many rivers--the Cuivre, the Missouri, and the Mississippi--how
rivers behave. Which reminds me of that old adage concerning real estate--location, location, location. Or maybe
in this case I should say elevation, elevation, elevation.
About now you're probably expecting me to
somehow relate rivers and floods with the writing life. Tall order, but I'll give it a shot. . . It's good to write
about what's happening around you. Pay attention to your surroundings, particularly during extraordinary occurrences
like a flood. Listen to what people have to say. Notice life. The kindness of people, the resilience of those affected.
While writing can be cathartic, to help process what is happening to you personally, writing can also be a tool to help
others. Articles can bring attention to those who need help. Even something as simple as this blog helps spread the word there
are those in need.
Take your pen and use it mightily.
8:02 pm cdt
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