Five months ago,
a man named Paul – a woodworker by trade -- lost a good portion of his workshop
to fire.
He had no
insurance.
He belongs to a
Buddhist community, or sangha, in the seacoast area of New
Hampshire, and when the word spread among his friends
in the community, there quickly went out a call to arms – or tools.
Starting at 7:30 this morning, a group of volunteers,
including my husband Rick, arrived to start rebuilding the roof with materials
that had been precut by Paul and others. Some dozen people participated, and
the work went quickly.
I arrived much
later, 12:30 p.m., with my chief
contribution to the day, a huge pasta salad made with shamrock-shaped pasta in
honor of St. Patrick’s Day. But I also helped carry several pieces of
galvanized steel roofing across the yard – a first for me – to help with the
rebuilding project.
It was like an
old-fashioned barn raising, and it reminded me so much of the value of
community.
Rick and I are not
really members of the sangha – just people who go to the Buddhist center for
occasional workshops or meditation events, but I enjoyed being in the company
of these kind people in this setting away from the center shrine.
More than
anything, I loved seeing the power of what a few people can do when they pitch
in a helping hand all together.
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