By By Adam Prestridge
Neighbor is defined as a person who lives near another. Other definitions include, a person or thing that is near another, one's fellow human being: to be generous toward one's less fortunate neighbors and a person who shows kindliness or helpfulness toward his or her fellow humans: to be a neighbor to someone in distress.
So anyway you define it, neighbor isn’t limited to the person or family that resides in the house next to yours. It could be someone down the street, across town, or in this case, 25 miles down Hwy. 97.
Sunday, the residents of the small Florida town of Molino was caught off guard around noon when an E-F1 tornado touched down and left a path of destruction. The twister destroyed several homes and more than 50 were damaged, some damage being major, according to published reports.
Atmore is no stranger to the damage that Mother Nature can produce, having been changed forever by Hurricane Ivan and later another devastating dose by Hurricane Dennis. Atmore is also no stranger to assistance from people from near and afar. Volunteer groups, churches and individuals flocked to Atmore to assist in any way they could. The same should be done for Molino.
So whether you send a donation to the American Red Cross or drive the short distance to Molino to lend a helpful hand, your help will be appreciated. Maybe you can help pick up limbs from a person’s yard and put them beside the roadway for pick up or help cut trees by manning a chainsaw. If you are unable to do manual labor, but want to help, you could take food and drinks to workers. A simple hamburger from a fast food restaurant would be well received.
So take a moment, say a prayer thanking the Lord you were spared and give back to your neighbors.
Adam Prestridge is publisher of the Atmore Advance. He can be reached at 368-2123.