CAMDEN — June was a rough month for the city. Not only did a powerful storm knock out power and cause widespread destruction, we also faced the loss of two children: One from cancer and one from a shocking crime. Also, a horrible accident took the life of a well known and loved pedestrian.
Writers often employ what’s called “pathetic fallacy,” a literary device in which emotions are attributed to aspects of nature. And it may very well seem like the chaos brought on by last month’s storms stayed around and darkened the skies of our outlook on life.
But the storms (both meteorological and metaphorical) have brought heroes, too. The hard-working linemen of Ouachita Electric and Entergy braved dangerous situations and unearthly heat to restore power to residents of the city and county. Local churches opened their doors as cooling centers to offer respite for those without power.
Too often we get divided by politics, religion, race or a thousand other things that set us apart. But more often than not, in times of crisis, Camden comes together to take care of its own.
The churches opened their doors to everyone. They didn’t say “You can come if you are Baptist….You can come if you are a Republican…You can come if you are black…You can come if you fit into this tax bracket.”
Everyone was welcome, because everyone was affected by the power outages.
I never met Oakley Nimmo, but I saw how the community gathered together to help his family. I read the posts from his mother on the Prayer’s For Oakley Facebook page.
I had the assignment of taking photos of the Cullendale First Baptist’s parking lot the day of his funeral. For those not in the know, Oakley wanted to be an “Army man” when he grew up. His mother posted photos of him on Facebook in fatigues with a toy gun, soldiering on as he fought a deadly disease.
After his passing, the family gave him a military funeral and asked that first responders and service members show up in uniform. The message blazed across the internet and was answered by many brave men and women. Oakley was even given the title of Colonel in the Arkansas National Guard, finally fulfilling his childhood dream.
On the same day Oakley was being laid to rest, horrific news of a double homicide broke. A young mother, Alyssa Cannon and her child, Braydon Ponder, were killed by her fiance.
As of this writing ,he is still on the run, but countless law enforcement officers are looking for him. His family has even taken to Facebook to plead for him to turn himself in. Facebook also shared his name and photo across the country.
Before the story is over, I’m sure more heroes will come out of this.
Peter S. Beagle, the author of ‘The Last Unicorn’,wrote, “Great heroes need great sorrows and burdens, or half their greatness goes unnoticed. It is all part of the fairy tale.”
Camden has seen it’s share of sorrows and burdens, but it’s also seeing it’s fair share of heroes.