Deep Freeze Perfect for Heart-Warming Opportunities

Chrissie's last post focused on the fact that teenagers have not changed much since the dawn of time. They have many positive qualities and are our most precious commodity. As such, it is up to us to teach them to be servant leaders of our democracy. Nothing presents itself for this instruction like what has just occured in Muskogee and other cities across Oklahoma, declared a federal disaster area by President Bush.

How do you describe the sound of limbs weighed down with ice creaking, cracking, and then crashing down from a 100-year-old 50 ft. tree? Everywhere roads are blocked with fallen trees, making obstacle courses out of streets, which otherwise would be passable. Thousands of people in the area affected by the storm have been without power for days now, 15,000 in Muskogee alone. If you have power and are reading this, Muskogee Public Schools is closed through Friday.

In the weeks ahead, the clean-up process will be overwhelming. Volunteer opportunities will abound for all of us. You will most likely need some help at your own house, but so will your extended family, neighbors, acquaintances and stangers. Charity begins at home, as they say, and reaching out yourself to others in need sets the example for your teens.

So far I have witnessed magnanimous outreaching from so many people. Neighbors and friends calling to check on others and offer shelter. Runt's Bar-b-que driving the streets feeding the OG&E crews and others who needed food. The OG&E guys, even though they get paid, have done a tremendous amount of work in the last few days in hazardous conditions with limbs cracking and crashing all around them. We are grateful for the crews from out of state who have come to Oklahoma to help us! The police, fire fighters, City crews and people who have opened shelters have done an excellent job in adverse conditions.

There will be ample opportunity to volunteer for all of us once the aftermath of this seemingly nuclear winter becomes clear. There are, of course, more horrific places that need our help - the Sudan, Darfur, Iraq - but, as I said, charity begins at home. We learn as teens how to help the rest of the world by learning to help people right here.

Teens always rise to occassions such as this and show us what they are made of. I am not advocating that your teen use a chainsaw (although I am certain many are quite capable, the power lines and falling ice and tree limbs pose an unusual threat), but the parks and other beautiful spaces in Muskogee and outlying areas will need tending once the debris is cleared. Keep those volunteer service projects in mind, especially with the Azalea Festival just about 14 weeks away. With more snow predicted for this weekend, we may all be tested again as to what strength of character we are made of.

Keep warm and stay safe.

Melony