Emerging and celebrating what we have

The word for today is “emerge”. In some sense and to some degree, we are all emerging. Usually, if you emerge from something, it’s a positive thing; you are moving toward something better. That’s not always the case, though. You could possibly be faced with an “emerging danger “or you could fall for “a surefire emerging trend”. So, you have to be careful. Emerge is one of those words that you never think too much about until one day when you decide to try it out, and the sound of it strangely resembles a noise some green creature climbing out of a UFO might make. Say it four or five times real fast and it just starts to get weird. I had a college professor way back in the last century who taught a class called English 420, Word Derivatives. He was a dapper fellow who always wore tweed jackets even in April and May. He would arrive every morning determined to shock all of us in the classroom. Many times, he would fling open the door with a big smile and promptly dash into the room, jump up on top of his desk like it was a tiny stage, and loudly break into song with some operatic aria or begin reciting 18th century poetry. I think he was definitely emerging from something. I’m not sure what, but after you spent 10 weeks in English 420, you sort of felt like you had emerged a little bit yourself. I didn’t learn a thing in his class, but I stayed awake and thoroughly enjoyed it. I guess we never really stop emerging. Isn’t that what life is all about anyway? From the safe harbor of your early nest at home, to your years of education and socialization, to finding your place in the working world, to marriage with a family of your own, life is a richly-faceted journey. Hopefully, we emerge better for the experience, but when the days of doubt and defeat come our way, it is especially important to keep on emerging, strong and intact. In the Fall of last year, this community was left with the seen and unseen scars and wounds of a rampaging hurricane. It, of course, could have been worse, and it is encouraging that our county government with the help of the University of Georgia is now conducting a review of how to refine our response to best prepare for similar events in the future. What may prove to be the most difficult in dealing with the aftermath of this event and those to come may be the restoration of the human intangibles. The remains and remnants of the staggering power and destruction unleashed are still daily reminders. Our local governments have done good work removing and restoring as best they can, but as we move from an unusually cold winter to the hopeful signs of an approaching spring, now is the time to bring a little personal initiative to the fight. We know that in the coming weeks we can count on a landscape that will be brightened and softened by the restorative hand of nature. Traditionally, this is the time and the signal for our county and all her communities to show up, clean up, and fix up. We do it every year. But this year, it is particularly important to demonstrate the pride and confidence we still feel in our home. We owe it to ourselves and to the place we live. Let’s prepare to welcome the blooms and buds and all of the pastel wardrobe of springtime that will soon “emerge”. Our garden clubs, the “Keep Emanuel Beautiful Committee”, and many of our civic clubs and other groups are all planning their springtime cleanups, and the annual Pine Tree Festival Celebration is only 2 months away. Who knows? In the process of cleaning up maybe a few potholes might get repaired, maybe some busy streets could get a fresh new coat of asphalt and maybe some abandoned derelict buildings could either get knocked down or built back up. There is no shortage of challenges ahead, and there certainly might be a little more cold weather to deal with, but just as sure as there are azaleas in Emanuel County, the season of renewal and growth will arrive and the days of doubt will fade, and this community will emerge as sure and strong and as colorful as ever. I hope you will find your own way to help out, and be a part of it!