village hall meeting

tonight after work, we were invited to attend a town hall meeting at a village just outside chicago. we spent two and a half to three hours talking with flooding survivors and getting them registered for assistance with FEMA. working with and interacting individually with survivors was a wonderful experience and we were greeted with incredible warmth and hospitality by not only the residents of the community but by the local officials. one survivor in particular mentioned that he was "glad his tax dollars were going to people with smiles on their faces" (which, after an eight hour work day already under our belts, we were impressed that we were even still smiling at that point). being greeted and appreciated by people who had their basements and/or first floors of their homes wiped out from the flood was really moving. though some people had pretty extensive damage and others had minimal, the community as a whole was able to come together and instead of being frustrated with each other and with the situation, they were incredibly gracious and kind. 

the people I have met through this experience thus far have made this journey more than I could express in words.