After the torrential rains of Christmas Eve, communities in
Dominica, St. Lucia and St. Vincent & the Grenadines were left reeling from
destruction with floods, landslides and destroyed bridges. The most significant
impact was however the loss of lives in the countries with deaths totaling 18
so far with several persons still missing.
The scale of the tragedy was brought out by the pictures and
videos posted on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Throughout
Christmas Day, the traditional celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ,
pictures poured in of damage, destruction and despair. However one picture
brought a spirit of comfort and hope (maybe just to me.) This powerful picture
showed a cleric comforting a young woman crying in pain.
Rev. Eleanor Glasgow comforts a young lady on the Leeward side of St. Vincent
(Source: I Witness News /Kenton Chance)
Taken by journalist Kenton Chance of I-Witness News, the
picture showed Reverend Eleanor Glasgow, an Anglican priest, comforting a young lady who apparently
had just received some bad news and seemed inconsolable. This picture quickly
went viral on social media and made the cover of the Trinidad Guardian on
Boxing Day.
This picture should be seen as a representation of what the church’s
response to this crisis should be. I could only imagine how hard it was for
Rev. Glasgow to leave her comfortable home and go out in the community to
minister. What struck me even more was that she was in her clerical robes which
were white. Imagine the mud and slush she had to walk through and chose to do
it in a white robe. This is what we need from all our leaders not only our
religious leader but also our political and social leaders. They must not just
tour the affected areas but go out and be that shoulder to cry on, that voice
that consoles and that smile which gives hope to our people. They must give up their
comfort and do not be afraid to get dirty especially literally.
This picture for me shows hope in the face of the disaster
which occurred on Christmas Eve 2013 and while we will continue to see the
pictures of death and destruction, I know that this picture shows that there is
hope for “The Land of the Blessed.” As our national anthem refrains: “Whate’er
the Future brings, our faith will see us through...” this picture only proves
that faith really will see us through these dark times.
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