NOMINATE YOUR HERO -- Big Elk -- post snippets here or email me lyonshistory at yahoo with a short story. Whether its the fire dept. or a neighbor who broke down yr door! All will be listed in the final list (one to be published next week, but a final one printed up in SEPT) Postscript by Donna - Hero is indeed the wrong word. This is an effort to identify and celebrate the kindnesses in a catastrophic event. So often we sit back and watch. I purposely didnt want to make a list, but a civilized world keeps lists. Lets try to make it complete. Ill start. Ill start with people like Donna M Hasman-Black who contacted me over Facebook several times in the beginning to ask to bring in needed supplies. We relented and met in the woods. Paul Flanagan drove his trusty station wagon with me in an ATV to pick up power washers, water, shovels, chainsaws, and FLOWERS from Donna Black and her husband Dave. I wont ever forget the constancy of Laura Levys emails and messages to me to boost the information flow, her poignant story on mypinewoodhome that startled me with its truth. These two were my strongest outside allies. Then I met Geri Arnberg Plank who supplied us with pies, homemade soup, biscuits, and unbelievable cheer during her volunteer visits to dig up OUR garbage we had to bury. I will forever be grateful to Melissa Schneider Garcia who got things done, WHATEVER it was, during the weeks we stayed without power and water, creating and maintaining a spreadsheet of donations from the community (my how the community pitched in), who showed us how to do cartwheels in the firehouse and argued with her husband to stay (thank goodness, I had internet - winning point) and Carole Renouf who sees goodness in everyone when I got so frustrated with what I considered plain meanness. Of course, thats not all. SO MANY. Volunteers from so many states will forever be in my heart. Then when I felt empty, not wanting to do anything more, new friends emerged, the Bernstein family for taking on documenting all volunteer hours and sending emails of encouragement, and my newest friend Rebecca Henderson who is helping us create a profile for Colorado Gives so our VFD can survive the missing fundraisers and SOMEHOW help our residents. Its so hard to list everyone who helped because it takes everyone of us. And always the people Ive known for twenty years, the people of Big Elk Meadows - Leann Briggle Daugherty who was there at the drop of a dime, was the first to bring in fuel over Johnny Park AT DUSK even. The final one, however, would be my husband, Eno Compton III, who has the pioneer spirit and gets things done - how lucky I was to have him by my side - we didnt suffer - life was easy in our house - ok, so I did get gas in my eyes the first time I filled the generator - but I needed him to evacuate so he could get back in with the calvary - two Wyoming vets, Dana Dana L. Petersen and David Evertson who started this new Facebook page. Theres no end. Each day presents NEW KINDNESSES. And Ive left off precious friends - Jean Welch who pointed us in the direction of hearts - they were everywhere in this flood recovery and at 81 she accompanied us to deliver water tanks given by Crossroads and Red Cross so people could return home sooner than later. Please know you are on this list too. Unnamed Heroes. Thats how Id like it. Kindnesses, really. Human spirit at its best.
Posted on: Thu, 26 Jun 2014 01:38:34 +0000