A Community's Act of Kindness

     Late in the afternoon of Dec. 27, 2007, Jerry Don Martin, age 28, of Bismarck, Arkansas, drowned in Lake DeGray in a fishing/boating accident.

     As word spread around our rural area, people stopped their holiday-related activities and did what most called "just the right thing to do."  While divers searched through the cold, misty night and into the next afternoon, relatives, friends, neighbors, and co-workers quietly and respectfully came to say, "I'm sorry."  They offered warm clothing, blankets, food, and shelter.

      Some of those closest to the family never left the site--alternating between being at the family's side and discretely stepping back when someone else arrived.  Others spent a few minutes standing with their arms around family members and then silently left.

      No one person performed an heroic act; but, collectively, the community performed an amazing act of kindness and comfort.

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