The Many Hands Thrift Market Impact Team is made up of staff, volunteers, and friends of the Many Hands Thrift Markets located in Iowa. After working hard in the community the last few days, they took a reflective day to experience Abaco and better understand the tensions they are experiencing themselves.
Have you ever lost something that was terribly important, like maybe a set of car keys, a cell phone, or a baseball cap? Were you frantic to find your missing treasure? Were you ready to turn over everything in your home to find it? How much do we find ourselves putting so much value on such simple things? Oh sure, we will spend some time trying to remember where we last had said item in our hands and where we were at that time. But, honestly, many things can be replaced, and we are quick to replace them.
We sit here now in Marsh Harbour on Abaco Island, where families have lost so much more than a set of car keys. Family members, homes, jobs, friends, neighbors, pets, vehicles, and the list goes on. We have seen remnants of such devastation that, in some cases, residents have left the island and not returned. They had to leave because they had no way to repair, replace, or recover what was lost. There was no choice but to start over somewhere else.
Today, we traveled by ferry to Elbow Cay and the settlement of Hope Town. Such a beautiful sight! We saw homes that had been rebuilt and boats that had been replaced. We’re left wondering: Did families place more value on replacing their vacation homes and boats than helping other families in these communities who had lost everything? We don’t know the answer to this question. The “glass half full” perspective would give us hope that there have been families that helped their communities. After all, rebuilding homes, restaurants, and businesses is good for the economy.
When we learn of a tragedy in our community, what is our initial response? Our hearts go out to them, and we empathize with them as much as we can. But do we give of ourselves to help relieve their pain? Or do we continue going about the business of making our own lives better? This day has really given us reason to pause and consider this.
