Emily: Let’s really look at one another! I can’t… I can’t go on.
It goes so fast. We don’t have time to look at one another. I didn’t realize. So all that was going on and we never noticed. Take me back — up the hill — to my grave. But first: Wait! One more look. Good-bye , good-bye world. Good-bye, Grover’s Corners… Mama and Papa. Good-bye to clocks ticking… and Mama’s sunflowers. And food and coffee. And new ironed dresses and hot baths… and sleeping and waking up. Oh, earth, you are too wonderful for anybody to realize you. Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it–every, every minute?
Stage Manager: No. (pause) The saints and poets, maybe they do some.
Emily: I’m ready to go back.
-Thornton Wilder, Our Town
The news cycle never stops to take a breath, does it? It’s an insatiable beast, and because most world news happens in somebody else’s town, it’s gotten relatively easy for us to move on as well. In the 24-hour news cycle, everything is breaking news so nothing is.
Only this time it happened in my town, and it reminds me how fast things happen and change and grow and live and die and rise up again. The news cycle will shift as it always does, and the camera trucks will leave, and the world will turn away from Gifford, Illinois, and it will probably never come back.
Before it goes, I want to try and tell you about how the lawns all looked.
Gifford has the best lawns and yards in the world. Lawncare’s a high art where I come from, and the pictures you’ve been seeing don’t let you see what I’ve seen for over 40 years. I want you to see the way people hang flags and tie yellow ribbons and wave at strangers, and the way the sheriff would just as soon drive home the guy who had too much to drink uptown and how they’ll probably be sitting next to each other at church this Sunday. I want to tell you that Little League games and girls softball games still matter very much and every summer for 70 years men have played semipro baseball on an impossibly green field where I once played, too. I want to tell you about the hardware store that my friend’s dad used to run. Now my friend does. His birthday is March 31st, as is another classmate’s. Another two classmates – M. and J. – shared a different birthday – July 11th. You tend to remember these things when you had only twenty or so kids in your class. M’s house – where I attended several of his birthday parties – is gone now. So are the homes of J’s aunt and grandmother. The hardware store appears to have sustained some roof damage, but I’m not sure what else yet.
There’s unspeakable physical damage… and mental, too. I wish I was there. I want to be there. I feel helpless here – with nothing more than a keyboard and tears. But until I can get home and put on some gloves and grab a shovel, I wanted to just tell you that we are so much more than the destruction you saw. The EF-4 tornado might have robbed many of much, but I promise you it did not take their will, nor did it take their appreciation for life and each other. In fact, if anything it strengthened it, and if the cameras could only stay (and, of course, they can’t), you’d see a spirit rise up from the rubble and watch strangers helping strangers.
Because that’s maybe the biggest thing… these people know how to work… and help others… and do what’s right and do what’s hard and do what’s necessary. I just wanted you to know that. I know you’d want to help them, too. I know you’d like them. I love them. Doug and Anna and Andy and Erin and Becky and Buddy and Duane and Carolyn and so many, many others.
Because when you’re lucky enough to grow up in a town like Gifford, you might move away, but you never really leave.
I’m ready to go back.
(If you would like to help financially, a fund has been set up to help the victims of this storm. Send donations to The Gifford State Bank, P.O. Box 400, Gifford, IL 61847. Make checks to The Gifford State Bank Tornado Relief Fund. Or you can visit http://www.uwayhelps.org/gifford to help through United Way of Champaign County. Thank you for your kind words and prayers. We hear them.)
Couldn’t agree more. I didn’t grow up in Gifford but in Rantoul and always attended Gifford Celebration and have MANY great memories from Gordyville. So unbelievably sad. 🙁 The before and after of Erin and Andy’s house really shows the massive amount of devastation. If there is any community that could pull through this and come out stronger than ever before, it is Gifford, IL.
Beautifully written, and absolutely true. Every word of it.
What a beautiful story! Thanks so much! It is the true meaning of Gifford and I will only appreciate it more!! I love my town!
Thank you so much. It is—and will always be—my favorite place on earth.
Thanks for sharing, Michala. There’s a picture floating around somewhere of me in a bizarrely ridiculous outfit in a wagon from a Gifford Fall Festival parade in the 70s. I’ve longed to sneak into mom’s stuff and destroy that photo before it falls into the wrong hands. : )
I love your town too, Barb. Thank you so much for writing. My heart is with you. Wish I was there.
Tim, i grew up in gifford and drove down as soon as i heard about the storm. Words cannot describe what I saw when i got there. You hit the nail on the head when u described pre-tornado gifford. My heart is very heavy for what everyone in town will have to work through to rebuild but, knowing the people of gifford i am also very excited to see the finished product. Gifford IS Americas home town!
Tim, this is so heartbreaking, but you hit the nail on the head when you talked about how small town people pull together. From another small town gal.
(I heard you speak at the Group Fall Event in Asheville-“We’ll always have Asheville”.
Mitzie Wilson
awesome message… many friends in Gifford -lived in Rantoul for 30+ years… now in the Washington area – which was hard hit also…. prayers and blessings for all… strong hearts – <3
I’ve seen pics of Washington. So sorry. You are in my prayers.
Mitzie! Ha! Thank you so much for your kind words and thoughts. What’s the old saying? You can take a kid out of the small town, but you’ll never take the small town out of a kid.
You just hit the nail on the head, too. Thank you, Matt.
I live in Rantoul. I have friends in Gifford who have lost everything, and this post speaks the truth. Gifford was an incredible small town with beautiful scenery and the talk about friendly people couldn’t be overstated. Great post, Tim.
Thank you, Paul. I really appreciate it. Gifford will always be an incredible town because of the friendly people, and because of them, watching strangers helping strangers is the new beautiful scenery.
Your words brought tears to my eyes. Prior to reading this I was actually sitting here thinking of how perfectly well kept all of the lawns and homes were in Gifford. Their persistent team work and good nature will help Gifford to overcome this tragic event that they did not deserve. Prayers to all effected.
Thank you for your kind words and prayers… they are mower magicians, aren’t they?
We lived in Gifford for 9 years. My parents moved to Gifford to be with us and their new granddaughter in my father’s final years. We walked my daughter every day to Gifford Grade school and my wife worked part time in the library. Although we moved away, there will always be a part of us in Gifford. I hope our friends in Gifford are able to put it all back together again, and they will all be in my thoughts.
Never lived there, but i worked at the post office for several years. Gifford is a wonderful place, and its got to be the friendliest place on earth! Thoughtful friendly people, love that town. The farmers (sweet guys) would make a trip into town to get their mail in the winter, so that the mail carrier wouldn’t have to drive down their road. There was the guy who took care of our postmasters plants, so she wouldn’t have to. Lovely place.
Wow this is so bittersweet! I too have so many memories of Gifford, Illinois. Thank you for sharing yours.
As a survivor of more than one of these I remember distinctly my dad crying when we came up out of the basement and saying “It’s all gone.” I remember putting my arm way up over his shoulder and telling him we’d build it back or I’d die trying. Still here and so is that farm. So will you all. May God bless each of you and continue to watch over you.
That’s horrific. I’m so sorry for those memories. It’s brave and kind of you to share. Thank you.
Thankfully, nothing can take our memories away. If anything, this makes them stronger. Thanks for writing.
My dad was one of those sweet guys. Thank you for your service in our town.
Me, too. Thanks for writing, Mark.