We have been through a rough two weeks with the Jet Sting of Isaias, although that term now seems to be in question. Well, here’s what we can’t question: there is a good side and a bad side to just about everything. Call it our Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde syndrome.
When Alfred Nobel invented dynamite, it was for the purpose of only doing good and to end wars. But he was disappointed when he realized that it was used for prolonging war instead and supporting the countries he felt were doing wrong to their own people.
So how do we draw that parallel into a hurricane? They are horrendously destructive weather phenomena that we wish would not come near us, wish they would dissipate before reaching shore, or even wish Just please don’t let the hurricane come near us; Let it go somewhere else. We know that somewhere else will most likely affect other communities.
There is a lot of the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde syndrome just in the idea of a hurricane.
I hate them. But I always remind myself that I have adequate warning for a hurricane. A tornado, no. An earthquake, no. So, it’s not so bad to live in a state that has a hurricane season. And let’s face it. In our Dr. Jekyll mode, there are many, many reasons that we want to live in Florida and face the Mr. Hyde monster that is barreling toward us when a hurricane is in the Gulf.
So our syndrome? Where could the possibility be of any good with the Mr. Hyde Hurricane?
You know what it is.
We all know what it is.
It is the aftermath. Okay, the shock of stepping outside our doors to literally see the destruction around us is many times overwhelming. It makes us angry. It makes us cry. I am not ignoring a death that comes with the hurricane. I am not ignoring the loss of a home and everything a person owns.
I am acknowledging that the devastation is certainly overwhelming. We cannot ignore that. But we have to heal. We do heal. And we never have to do it alone.
I have seen the good that comes from the Mr. Hyde Hurricane. I have seen the much good of the Dr. Jekyll in all of us. And I truly mean in ALL of us.
I have seen electric companies from other states sending in crews to help Florida Power and Light and Escambia River Electric Co-op. The trucks convoying down the Interstate to help any afflicted area is absolutely a beautiful sight. These men are leaving their families to work long hours and many weeks to make sure that we can get our electric restored as fast as is humanly possible.
We also know about the information via radio about the services available to us. For example, our service of garbage pickup that the radio announces to keep us informed so that we can return to a normal routine quickly.
We receive texts or emails about our services to keep us informed. And if we cannot receive those messages, we seem to have our own personal communication centers set up via neighbors and friends to keep us informed.
And that is the grass roots, the Dr. Jekyll part, of the hurricane. In the aftermath, we support our friends.
I will start with a neighbor of ours who lives on Mineral Springs Road up in Jay. Alan Edwards helped a family who lives on Chumuckla Highway in front of his property. Alan didn’t hesitate when in the middle of the hurricane, the family contacted him, concerned there might be a leak in the roof. Alan told them to come to his house. In the aftermath, the leak in the roof turned out to be a roof that had been lifted off the house completely.
And then another of our neighbors, the Burkheads. I had to leave to take a friend to a doctor appointment three days after the hurricane, and when I returned home, I pulled into the driveway to see the trees and piles of limbs and tree trunks that we had pulled together into piles completely gone. It was amazing. It made me smile. It made me realize how lucky I am to have the neighbors that I do. Dutch had come over with his tractor and grappling hook and moved all those piles out to the road for us. And remember, the county, or the city, is working together with other entities to make sure that we will be able to clean up the debris without our having to pay and adding to our burdens. They are making it easier for us, using the large debris trucks and their trailers to help us clear our property and clear the roadsides.
And what about all the food distributions throughout the area? In our county alone, there are over 14 different organizations helping people without food.
When kids returned to school this past Monday, teachers were hearing from students that the family had no food. The teachers went to the principals. The principals called Linda Sanborn, our president of the DUO Santa Rosa Board, and asked if DUO could help with the food problem. We discussed as a board and realized how many organizations there are distributing food to help us. Our secretary, Liz Henderson, researched the problem and the solution. She created a list of 14 food sources that we can send to every school and to anyone who needs the food sources available to them, to everyone who needs help. In fact, the list is added to this article. It is an amazing out-pouring of goodness to support our county.
I know Shannon Floyd cooked food for Glenda Booker, a woman living by herself in Jay, who was without means to cook since she had no electricity. Shannon Floyd, who lives in Pensacola, took her meals three different days.
We are lucky that we have a whole house generator. If it weren’t for the beef and pork we process, I doubt we would have had electricity. But we did, and we shared. Our neighbor who works at Baptist Hospital in Pensacola had to go to work. The hospital workers were there for all of us. But Chloe had no access to warm water and we gladly told her to please use our shower. Such a little thing to offer, but an offer that helped Chloe do a big job for our community. We cooked meals and invited our neighbors.
As a Board member of DUO Santa Rosa, I received an email asking if we would send a note to John and Paula Brown in Gulf Breeze that we had received a donation in their names as a way of thanking them for their helping Bett and Vince Zito during the hurricane. That was a wonderful gesture to let the Browns, who did act out of the “Jekyll” goodness of their hearts, know how much their help meant.
I have no doubt that there are over one million more examples of goodness that I know nothing about but have come out of Hurricane Isaias, and I truly believe one million is not an exaggeration.
Whether it is the few examples I mention here, or the one million I know nothing about, it is a good time to celebrate the Dr. Jekyll within us that is our blessing against the Mr. Hyde.
And we, DUO Santa Rosa, are celebrating.
AN EVENT TO CELEBRATE takes place on November 20th, only a month away. We have much to celebrate! Whether it is our 250 years of independence, our military that keeps us free, our history of Santa Rosa, our “survival” against Isaias, or the upcoming Christmas season, we are celebrating it all and in music form, in raffles, in door prizes, in shopping opportunities, in a Silent Auction, in an ugly Christmas sweater contest, in a good meal, we are celebrating.
And every person involved in making this event a celebration is volunteering their time. The vendors, the singers, the workers, the board members, everyone is the Dr. Jekyll to bring this celebration to you.
Of course, we are celebrating to raise money for DUO so that we can help our Santa Rosa children!
So, COME JOIN US AT BAR 515, Pace’s neighborhood restaurant, located at 4495 Chumuckla Highway in Pace for this celebration on November 20th. Doors will open at 5 pm. $100 a ticket, and ONLY 80 tickets will be sold. Cash bar. 21 or older. An evening to hear the DUO Singers singing “Thomas Jefferson’s 12 Days of Christmas,” Navarre’s “All I Want for Christmas is …” (You have to hear the words to find out what he wants.), “Silent Night,” “Santa Rose Christmas Eve,” and many more. These songs will amaze you as will the singers: Max McGar plays an absolutely amazing keyboard , Bonnie Piatt (who I believe rivals Mariah Carey), Lisa Butcher sings a fabulous “Chestnuts Roasting” in the beautiful style of Karen Carpenter, Pam Provencher, Jim Reynolds, and Peanut Thompson who sings a haunting rendition of “Some Gave All.” They are all absolutely star voices and sing some fun songs for sing-along, some great songs for dancing, and some newly reworded Christmas carols.
We wanted a celebration to close out an interesting, intriguing, and definitely a challenging year for us! We are sharing it with you in hopes that you will be excited to hear our songs, to celebrate with us, and to support DUO’s mission.
Tickets go on sale next Monday, October 26th.
Visit https://duosantarosa.com/ to purchase your tickets.
Or email DuoSantaRosa@gmail.com for tickets.
