Sunday, January 16, 2011

The Best of People

Its been a stressful week.

One story that made my day was recounted to me by our neighbour yesterday.

He has a business in the Albion region that was under threat from flood water. He was at the shop with his business partner as they watched the water lap at their bottom step before it receded. The businesses on the other side of the street were not so lucky.

Down the road from his shop were two antique shops, side by side. One shop owner had built a mezzanine floor a couple of years ago and moved all their stock to the higher level as the threat neared. The other shop had a huge shop full of stock that could not be protected in the same way. The owner was staring down the barrel of losing it all. Then a truck arrived.

It was a competitor from the next suburb up the hill's truck. They offered their empty warehouse and truck to help move all the threatened stock. The truck went back and forth before they finished moving out every piece at midnight.

That people are so generous with their resources, time and energy in the face of adversity makes me very hopeful for the world in which Miss Squid lives.