Fred Rogers is often quoted as saying, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” I have never felt the truth of that statement as much as I have in the few weeks following the devastating derecho that tore through parts of Iowa.
Even before I actively looked for the helpers, they started arriving. One neighbor brought a chainsaw and helped cut down a dangerously perched limb. Another stored my refrigerated medication in her generator-run fridge. A third helped dismantle our fallen fence. Yet another brought sack lunches to feed our stomachs and our souls.
In the midst of all this, I was introduced to a new song by Jason Mraz called “Look for the Good.” I was especially called to the lines: “Look for the good. Yeah, look out for all the heroes in your neighborhood.” I’m seeing a lot of heroes, a lot of selfless people who are working together to tear down fallen trees and build up a community.
So I began looking for the good. And I am finding it all around me.
At Prairiewoods, we estimate that we lost more than 200 trees. And at times, cleaning up these beloved grounds seems impossible. But, as Jason Mraz says, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” Every day (really, every day!), volunteers come to help us clean up these beautiful 70 acres of woodland and prairie. Sometimes they come alone, other times in groups of 40 or more. They bring chainsaws and bucket trucks and bulldozers. They bring lunches and bottled water and homemade cookies to feed the other volunteers. They bring a great attitude and a helper’s spirit. They bring a deep love for this sacred land.
And all we can do is marvel at the goodness all around us and express our deep gratitude.
I invite you to listen to Jason Mraz’s song here. Let it wash over you, filling you with joy and “all good” (as St Francis was known to say). Where can you look for the good today? How can you see God in everyone? Who are the heroes in your neighborhood? How can you be the hero in your community?
Look for the Good
by Jason MrazLook for the good in everything
Look for the people who will set your soul free
It always seems impossible until it’s done
Look for the good in everyonePeople done gone crazy, people done gone mad
People done forgot the superpowers we all have
We were born to love, not hate, we can decide our fate
And look for the good in everyone and celebrate all our mistakes
If there’s a silver lining (silver lining)
You still have to find it, find it, find itLook for the good in everything
Look for the people who will set your soul free
It always seems impossible until it’s done
Look for the good in everyoneEveryone needs sunshine, everyone needs rain
Everyone is carryin’ around some kind of pain
I see who you are, you’re just like me
I see you’re searching for a purpose, guided by a dream
I see who you are, I’m just like you
I get lost sometimes and I forget what I came here to do
I keep on trying (keep on trying)
When it gets frighteningLook for the good in everything
Look for the people who will set your soul free
It always seems impossible until it’s done
Look for the good, look for the good
Look for the good in everyoneEveryone is nature, everyone is God
Everyone is love and light and vibration
Look for the good, look for the good
Everyone gets mad sometimes and maybe they should
Look for the good, look for the good
Yeah, look out for all the heroes in your neighborhood
Look for the good, look for the good
Life sure would be sweeter if everybody wouldLook for the good in everything
Look for the people who will set your soul free
It always seems impossible until it’s done
Look for the good, look for the good
Look for the good in everyone
—Andi Lewis, Prairiewoods marketing coordinator