Thomas Garcia: There was some good that came from Goliath

QCS Columnist

The blizzard Goliath struck our area this past weekend, giving us a chance to witness the harshness of winter as well as the good nature of our residents.

Goliath impacted several areas across the state and left so many without power -- and even stranded people in their vehicles for several hours in Curry and Roosevelt Counties.

Combine the cold, snow and inconvenience caused by this winter storm it would seem near impossible to find some good to come out of all of this.

However, while driving around this weekend, I got stuck in town just two blocks from my house. While I spun my tires and uttered profanities -- sorry Mom -- a couple of residents and an employee with the City of Tucumcari came to my rescue.

I want to say “thank you” to them for taking the time to come to my aid. If not for you, I may have just left my vehicle stranded in the middle of the road as I went to check up on my cats Toby and Brownie.

Toby and Brownie would like for me to relay their dislike of snow, blizzards and all things that keep them from looking out the front door upon the world.

I was saved a second time. This was late at night and it was really cold and if it was not for my friend Amanda I would have left the car in the snow again. I hope she knows how much I appreciate her getting out in that cold to pull me out of the snow. Seeing as she hates the cold more than I do.

During and after the storm I drove around to survey the damage and I saw several instances where residents went out of their way to help someone during the storm.

The First Baptist Church set up a shelter for those stranded and I have been told that when Pastor John Hinze went to buy food at our local grocery store the food, one of the store employees purchased the food; he said the church had helped them in a time of need.

I was on hand at the second shelter at the Tucumcari Convention Center when members of the Tucumcari Elks Club brought in breakfast for the stranded motorist to eat before they attempted to make their way on Interstate 40 that had been reopened Monday morning.

I was told several residents had brought food to the shelters for the people to eat.

This made me realize that while Goliath brought the worst of the winter season upon us in a matter of days, it also brought out the best of us in that time.

Of course in the beginning Goliath reaffirmed my dislike of the winter moisture called snow.

As the snow fell during the weekend, the wind helped formed drifts that myself and countless others had to walk through. I have about eight pairs of socks that were soaked in a two-day period. When your feet are cold you never warm up, or so it seems.

It was not until Monday afternoon that I was able to see some good from this evil I had come to call snow. In fact, it would take the perspective of two children to help me see that maybe Goliath was not all bad.

My friend's children -- Haisley and Gage -- were running, leaping into and rolling in the snow. They scooped up mounds of the powdery snow and tossed it about with glee.

They took turns burying each other in the snow and pelting one another with snowballs. I couldn’t help but laugh and take pictures of the two children as they enjoyed the frozen wonder.

I could not help to think back to all those times when I was a kid and it snowed and my sister and I ran out the front door with a jacket and hearing my mother yell “Make sure you put on a hat and some gloves!”

We would play until it got late and when we went inside it was time to warm up with a shower or a bath and bowls of chicken noodle soup.

All those times when I was younger, I’m certain Mom and Dad were talking about how hard it was to get around or how the snow was a burden -- but we didn't pay them much mind.

As the sun shines and melts the snow, I know there are children out there frantically making their way outside to get in as much playing time with the snow as they can.

While I hope they have all the fun they can, I am ready for spring.

Thomas Garcia is a senior writer at the Quay County Sun. He can be reached at [email protected]