Healing comes in many different forms. Since the hurricane, we have seen people open their hearts by feeding others, distributing needed resources and praying for those who have been through a very difficult ordeal.
Tropical Storm Helene tried the best of us. She showed us who we are as a community. I am so very sure that we as a people are good, loving souls.
Helene brought the River Arts District closer; downtown businesses worked together; people held one another and upheld the dignity of our land. We, for the most part, were not supported by outside help but by community spirit: locals helping locals.
I distributed food with the Saluda Pantry. When there was extra of anything, I drove it in my red Ford truck to Erwin, Tenn., where they are not getting the publicity Asheville has received. In Erwin, the Cajun Navy set up a distribution post in a small car dealership. A group of volunteers is currently running the post.
When I arrived with a drop-off, there was a farmer looking for hay, as the grass on his land was washed away. Another man was looking for four rolls of insulation to shore up his tool shed for his family of six to survive the winter. These are not new stories: The people in Swannanoa are living in tents in 30-degree weather, for goodness sake. My point is, love crosses county and state lines. After a season of political separateness, it feels good to be in the midst of one humanity.
Helene was a big storm with a wide berth. It will be a long time until people get their lives back to any resemblance of what was.
I wanted to do something in addition to distributing food and clothing. I wanted to do something to help heal the trauma that is so prevalent in our community.
As a healer with a background in energy medicine and crystals, I take to the streets with a large bag of hand-held crystals of all sorts. I leave them on park benches and tabletops and hand them to strangers and tell them, “I hope you are having a good day.” I also randomly distribute bottles and pastilles of Bach Flower Remedies, a homeopathic formula. The Bach Centre in the United Kingdom graciously donated bottles to my efforts.
It’s a small thing, but my hope is that people will find a shiny amethyst or rose quartz crystal while wandering through town. It’s a message that everything is going to be all right. Someone out there cares to send a message of hope and love to a stranger.
Healing comes in many forms. I am so proud to be a part of this beautiful community. We brought and are bringing our best selves to one another. We are a city of light and openhearted, generous people.
If you find a random crystal next to your cash register, tabletop or park bench, please know someone is sending you a hug and a lot of healing.
— Kim Purcell
Saluda
Kim Purcell is an intuitive energy healer and mushroom forager who spends her time between Saluda and Mars Hill, dropping crystals in a town near you.
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