These Are The People Who Are Losing Their City
My relationship with Minot is a complicated one, something which is probably instantly evident if you ever ask me about it in person. I'm sure my eyes show conflict in a way that words just can't. I think a lot of it can be summarized by saying that I never felt like it was home. Three different addresses, four different schools, lots of fantastic friends . . . but it never really felt "right" to me in the way that Pittsburgh did the very first time I set eyes on the Golden Triangle. Apparently you can't tell your heart where home is, it has to feel it for itself.
That said, there is one thing about Minot that absolutely always felt right. Growing up surrounded by the caliber of people that live in Minot is something indescribable. The closest I can come to finding the words for it is that it's sort of like growing up surrounded by a community of people who can make Mr. Rogers look like the most inconsiderate jerk you've ever met. They are good people, in a way that makes it possible to leave your car running while you run into Walmart. They make it OK to let your children roam the streets unsupervised. They chase you down to give you back your wallet that you dropped at the other end of the mall. They are the kind of people who will do absolutely anything for anyone at any time. If I ever manage to come across as a good-hearted person, I can guarantee you that it's because goodness is something that infiltrates your soul when you spend any sort of time in Minot.
Let me just show you a very small sampling of what makes Minot what it is. These are all Facebook status updates that I grabbed from public news pages (mostly this one) and a few groups.
There are hundreds of status updates everywhere that say things like this:
There are offers to help with childcare.
People are opening up their homes to strangers.
There are people asking for help on behalf of strangers, and strangers responding to those requests instantly.
It's not just individuals showing their true colors. Businesses like Royal Fork Buffet are sacrificing personal gain for the sake of the greater good.
(BTW, they really do have great food. True story.)
And then there is . . . honestly, I have no words for this . . .
These are the people who are losing their homes. This is Minot.
You can support the Minot Red Cross Chapter here.
You can support Minot's Habitat for Humanity chapter here.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Reader Comments (10)
Wow, what an amazing community! I'm touched by their willingness and desire to help eachother.
Stop making me cry. Love hearing that people in general are still so good at their core.
This made me cry.
I was teetering on the edge of tears. I read this post and fell off the damn edge. HARD.
This right here shows there ARE people with good intentions still out there.
These poor, poor people. God, it just breaks my heart.
M- my dad wasstationed at the base in Minot for several years, and I spent my childhood in a small town in south Dakota. I know exactly how you feel. These are the type o people I grew up around. The kind hearts who will hold a door for you even if you're half a block away. The kind of people who will shovel your driveway before you're even awake, or who will bandage your knee when you fall off a bike on main street. Kind hearts, compassionate people that seem so hard to come by these days. Praying for the families in Minot.
We had very similar pulling together during the QLD floods and the Black Saturday Bushfires. It is amazing to see a community pull together and absolutely heartbreaking that the need was there to begin with.
Beautiful people, doing amazing things.
So heartbreaking and heartwarming to read those comments. You just don't hear about that type of kindness everyday. I knew there was flooding out there but never realized the severity of it until I read your post the other night. Too much of the news coverage has been on a sexting congressman and Lindsey Lohan's latest probation violation, and not enough on the plight of this town. Praying for them all and hoping it isn't as bad as they are predicitng it to be.
Will there be a need for donations? I know I can't get out to ND, but my husband is constantly couponing for causes. We could easily pull together some HBC items if needed. Keep me in the loop, and I'll be praying for the people of Minot!
I can't imagine what they are going through......thanks for making us all more aware of this story.
What an amazing community. Their kind hearts and compassion are truly inspiring. Thanks for sharing a way to help these people. They will continue to be in my prayers and heart.