Volunteers for Samaritan’s Purse gather in prayer in Buncombe County, NC (Asheville/Black Mountain area)
October 9, 2024
As a resident of Western North Carolina, 40 minutes east of Asheville in the greater Old Fort area, I appreciate the tremendous outpouring of concern and support for me personally and all affected by Hurricane Helene in the region. Here is a recap of my thoughts/emotions over the last two weeks as it may strike a chord with how you are feeling and provide some support. Also I have provided some good local donation options if you are interested.
My First Reaction…How Does This Affect Me?
When this first hit, I was unaware of the severity and was preoccupied with my personal circumstances. I was scheduled to fly out of Asheville to Boulder on Friday, September 27 for a Gene Keys seminar that I had booked 3 months prior. I actually thought that I might make it out later Friday or on a Saturday flight. At that point, I had no idea of the damage to our area. We were able to get news and started seeing the devastation in the area. I promptly started cancelling the flights and all accommodations. I also was distressed that this may significantly halt the progress on a home I was about to break ground on in my mountain community.
The Art of Letting Go
My first insight for a blog was going to be, “The Art of Letting Go”…how it is good to have plans, but we need to hold on loosely and let go of outcomes, so we don’t suffer when we don’t get what we want. According to Buddhist tradition, “suffering is due to longing for things to be different than they are.” Through reframing my mindset, I was able let go of attachments to the loss of the trip and the possible delay of building the house. I was going to blog about finding personal peace in the chaos. Later It became apparent that this seemed to trivialize the extreme human suffering now dramatically illustrated in the photos and news reports from the area. For example, the whole village of Chimney Rock, just 25 minutes from me, was wiped off the map.
Survivor’s Guilt Turning to Prayer
The next stage in my emotional rollercoaster consisted of shock, sadness, feeling ungrounded and an outpouring of compassion, wondering how I can help. We are blessed to live on a mountain that was not damaged too much except for many trees in the roads and power outages. I think I experienced a form of survivor’s guilt.
How could it be that I am Ok and still living in my sanctuary home and worried about minor things like a cancelled trip, when others have lost their lives, their loved ones, their homes and businesses. Some in remote areas are still in survival mode. I wanted to suffer along with them, but realized that does not help the situation at all. The best thing I can do is stay balanced in the highest frequency possible and be a rock during the chaos. I also decided to donate to local efforts that I trust, and pray regularly. I have set aside regular times during the day to pray and hold intentions for the highest frequency to support humanity and Mother Earth.
The Finer Things Keep Shining Through
At times I am in shock, trauma and anger that this happened in my back yard where I thought we would be safe from flooding. However, this is tempered with being incredibly touched by the show of human compassion and spirit of neighbor helping neighbor. Here are some photos of my immediate area showing the donation stations.
Focusing on Unity vs. Division
As we move forward together, I am trying to focus more on the finer things shining through (taken from the Steve Winwood song). Humanity seems to be exhibiting their “finer” or higher side, which seems to surface the most overtly in troubled times. These events allow us to put down political differences and unify as a collective. It is in times like these that we can appreciate our oneness and extreme connectedness to the whole. Local citizens have taken it upon themselves to help neighbors and start donation pages so their reach can be expanded. It is incredibly heart-warming to witness everyone pitching in for the greater good.
If you feel called donate…
I have realized over the years that it feels better to me to give to locals helping locals if possible. I want to know that my donation directly gets to people in need. If you are feeling called to help, I would recommend donating to Black Mountain’s local retailer, Take a Hike. The owner is a longtime friend and landlord to my dear friend Becca.
Some trustworthy options for donations:
Take A Hike Outfitters Hurricane Relief: Local hiking store in Black Mountain is providing headlamps, camp stoves, sleeping bags, sweatshirts, and fleece to those in the hardest hit areas of WNC. https://gofund.me/ca2645a7
Mother Earth Food- a local organic farm delivery service that serves many low-income families. https://gofund.me/0256cf9e
Aerial Recovery– helicopter rescue in remote areas. https://aerialrecovery.org/
Beloved Asheville is distributing supplies. https://www.belovedasheville.com/
About the Author: Rebecca Paris, formerly Rebecca Becker, is a former advertising professional and VP of Marketing for United Way of Atlanta as well as an artist. She is the founder and Executive Director of raisingthevibe.org, and is now offering her services as a one-on-one Gene Keys and Spiritual Guide. In addition to blogging, Rebecca has authored the free Ebook, The Matrix Resurrections Unraveled, to unpack the nature of our reality exposed in this latest Matrix movie. She has also co-authored the course Awakening to the Real You. Contact her through rebeccaparis.com to schedule a session or to purchase or commission a portrait or original art.