More on Nashville Flooding and Response

I should have learned by now to be careful what offhand references I make while writing. The top search term that led people here yesterday was “Charlie Neese draws penis,” followed by “Charlie’s penis.” Pretty sure that second group of people didn’t get what they were after.

I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who has spread what I wrote yesterday. There are many more perspectives, and they are all beautiful. Nashvillest.com did a round-up yesterday, so check there for more.

I think it is absolutely essential that all of us who have something to say about our beautiful city right now find a way to make it heard “outside.” We need the world’s attention for a while. So if you have a platform and something to say about Nashville, now is the time. If you have a platform but want to use my words, or those of one of the many Nashville writers who have shared their thoughts, then great, go with that. Be heard.

I heard a great story this morning. Obviously I can’t confirm whether it’s true or not, but it feels true, if you know what I mean. I was at a Red Cross shelter chatting with a volunteer and he told me that Monday evening he and some friends went into Nashville to tent city with the intention of helping people relocate, find shelter, etc. They got to tent city and it had been washed away already. Gone. So they went to the Rescue Mission thinking that, even though a lot of Nashville’s homeless don’t love the Mission, it was a logical rallying point. They were right, a number of tent city residents had made their way there, but the Mission was still very low population. Why? Because a number of the able-bodied had gone down to the Catholic church to help move stuff out of the basement. So basically, these young men went out to volunteer to help the homeless and found the homeless volunteering to help others. Like I said, I can’t verify any of that, but it feels like something that could happen here, doesn’t it?

In other news, students and staff from Daymar Institute in Murfreesboro will be holding a bake sale on Sunday May 16, at the Kroger on South Church Street, Murfreesboro, starting at noon. Come purchase something, or if you want to donate or participate, email Rach_odom@comcast.net.

Please remember that it’s going to be a long, sustained effort to get us out of this mess. Plan to help today and tomorrow and this weekend, but also plan to help next month when the weather starts getting hot and people need shelter with air conditioning, and in August when still-displaced children are going to need school supplies and clothing, and in December when the economic impact is still being felt and parents need help providing Christmas for their families. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, but we can definitely do this.

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