I am blessed to live in an amazing place. To me it’s heaven, to others it may seem like nothing special, but nestled among the rolling hills, crystal blue waters and gorgeous trees is something really special.
Life is a journey, a collection of highs and lows, good times and bad, joys and sorrows and as my teenage son always reminds me, “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” He is right about that, but sometimes the things that happen to us literally bring us to our knees and leave us lacking understanding and even the very strength to carry on. That is where the magic of what is hidden in these hills comes to life.
Our unique community of Canyon Lake, Texas is spread out over 81 miles of shoreline and to some may seem non-coherent, but believe me, when tragedy strikes, hearts and hands come out and lives are touched. We have survived floods, storms, accidents, death, illness, fire, and yet nothing dismantles the teamwork that this amazing community is capable of conjuring up.
This week community has been out in full force and although we have been dealt a tragic loss, there remains this glimmer of hope and perhaps a hint of understanding as to why. A 40 year old mother of two was struck by a car while jogging in her neighborhood last Tuesday and lost her battle to survive a critical head trauma. Left behind are her husband, son, daughter, family and friends fighting to gain some kind of understanding in the why of her senseless death.
The journey of understanding has begun for so many people who love this family and have been touched by their kindness and friendship. Children are left trying to get their head around how to go on without her, a husband faces a life without his best friend and many others scratch their heads in disbelief and pain as they struggle to understand.
Within hours the beauty of our community snapped to life and showed up on the porch of this family…food, consolation, hugs, love, money, offers of help and somewhere in the filling of utilitarian needs that people have perhaps the roles of many in this tragedy will come to light. Already I have heard mom’s stepping up to the plate telling these children that they have so many ”mothers” who will be there for them. People who do not know the family at all have stepped up and offered help when they heard what happened.
I have this theory that part of healing is helping others. When you get knocked down and you fight with everything you have just to try to understand and make sense of things is when reaching out and just doing make the difference. It doesn’t bring the person back or undo a wrong, but it fills that hole in your heart and makes you believe that there is something bigger at work in the world.
When people ask why I love living here I always answer the same way, “I love the people, the beauty and the sense of community!” It’s hard to explain to them what that means because you really just have to experience it to get your head around what I mean. But this week has been a showcase of the best that this place has to offer and it has nothing to do with property values, water levels, employment opportunities or any of the things that people wonder about in a community.
To those who are hurting at this time I offer you this, never lose hope, believe in something bigger than yourself and reach out. To those who are on the outside looking in, learn from these kind hearts and reach out to others. To everyone, life is uncertain, say “I love you” and treasure every moment.
