Zeb and I just finished watching a documentary (
http://www.detropiathefilm.com/) about the history of Detroit and it's connection to the manufacturing industry, namely GM. Obviously, living in Durham Region, we both took a particular interest in knowing more about the how's and why's of the demise and decay of this once-bustling city - kinda hits close to home. Afterwards, as he tends to do, he got on Google Earth and started looking around the city - specifically near the old train station - what we saw was really quite sad - this once majestic building is now a decaying mass of it's former glory - falling apart, crumbling, useless...
We kept "walking around" the neighbourhood until we found something really cool - in the midst of all this depression, a little miracle on Wabash Street. Google Earth streetview takes images of places and updates periodically; for this particular address on Wabash Street there's what appears to be a wee glitch - in 2009 you can see a house with literal holes in the roof, the thing's falling down, obviously abandoned; really sad - but then you step forward and you warp into 2011 - two years later - and holy cow, there's a brand new house sitting there, complete with people sitting on the front porch! Now, I know this doesn't seem like much, but I just found it so inspiring - there are still people there who care - people who are rebuilding, who are saying "this is my home and I'm not leaving" - there is still a community, a tiny beacon of light shining through the storm. I wanted to post the "before" and "after" pics here, to show you what I'm talking about - so here you go....
So, let's try to stay balanced in our mental digestion when we hear apocalyptic stories sensationalized in the media - yes, what has happened and continues to happen in Detroit and many other cities is a cruel trying hardship....but as long as there remains the remarkable miracle that is our collective human spirit, I think we'll all be OK.
Birds sing after a storm; why shouldn't people feel as free to delight in whatever remains to them?
Rose Kennedy
After every storm the sun will smile; for every problem there is a solution, and the soul's indefeasible duty is to be of good cheer.William R. Alger
Faith is not simply a patience that passively suffers until the storm is past. Rather, it is a spirit that bears things - with resignations, yes, but above all, with blazing, serene hope.Corazon Aquino
