Emily Swallow Instagram – Out of destruction, beautiful things can take shape.
Through the tears, my heart catches in my throat with gratitude. I had just moved to New York when 9/11 took place, and the unity of that community was something I never thought I’d experience again. It’s happening now in Los Angeles. My WhatsApp chats are full of people coordinating volunteer and donation efforts. People are welcoming strangers who have lost everything into their homes. Differences that might cause people to avoid each other are falling away.
The country has been crying with us, and we’ve felt your love and support and fervent prayers for the wind and the flames to stop.
Firefighters from all over the world came to defend our city; the last count I heard was 5000.
On #thisisthewaywednesday, I want to say thank you. And I want to highlight just a few of the ways you can help, whether you are local are far away. I also want to ask you to remember the people who are still struggling from events of 2024 including Hurricane Helene. I am thrilled to hear that my home church in Los Angeles, @cornerstonewla , will be a staging ground for the next few months for @samaritanspurse, an organization that provided tent hospitals in New York City during Covid, remains on the ground for Helene victims, and makes a commitment in all their efforts to stay until the work is done.
Let’s not forget this feeling of community. We can rise above, soften our hearts, and endure.
#lastrong #thisistheway #volunteer #palisadesfire #eatonfire #kennethfire #lafires #rebuild #cometogether #ilovela | Posted on 16/Jan/2025 08:54:06
