Reaching Out To Help

Their loss is so great that any attempt to describe it seems pitifully inadequate. Rob and Jill Schliebe’s four little boys died in a house fire last weekend. The Schliebes themselves were badly injured. This horror story spread throughout the country on “the wires” and ran in several newspapers.

In the wake of this despair, men, women and children of the Inland Northwest have come forward with prayers, money, clothes, food and household items. One woman who had just bought a new couch and love seat gave them both to the Schliebes. The couple had no medical or renters insurance, though they both had jobs. The Schliebes, an energetic couple devoted to their boys and their church, do not fit any of today’s unfortunate stereotypes of the “lazy poor.” But they still couldn’t afford basic insurance.

There are others who need similar assistance. We can help them, too, through donations to local food and clothing banks.

The help given to the Schliebes can’t relieve the loss of those four young lives. But maybe the discovery that community still exists, that people still care about one another in times of trouble, can soften the pain and help them - and all of us - carry on.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Rebecca Nappi/For the editorial board