Suits

A friend in Melbourne took the day off to head to the volunteer station to try help out with the fire relief effort and, for family reasons, he expended his efforts at the Salvation Army clothes disposal centre, sorting stuff donated for those who have lost everything in the bushfires. People who ran away from their houses with only the clothes they had on. [And as the temp was 48degrees, that wouldn't have been much.]

When they came back to see or hear of the bad news, everything they had, gone. In flames, in a furnace, burnt away to ash. Except for hope, and faith in the basic goodness of human beings.

This has had a massive effect on the people of Victoria. This is the biggest, baddest thing ever.

While he was there, a call came out to all the Salvo centres. We need suits. Urgently, all sizes...

Suits? Why the blessed lord are suits needed?

Ah...

A pause.

People will have to go to... funerals.

They have nothing to wear. Their clothes were lost, with everything else, their good clothes as well. Suits, please, to wear to the funerals of their loved ones, of their friends, of their families...

OK...

Suits. Suits coming up.

Within only a few hours hundreds of offers of suits came in from the good people of Australia.

Take this suit.

Respect and love to those who did not survive. Remember these days of loss.

E@L