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Appreciating the Beauty of Ordinary Days

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By Jeff Louderback
More than ever, I appreciate the beauty of ordinary days.
That appreciation has especially grown over the last 15 months.
In September 2023, I moved to rural southern Ohio in Highland County. I was no longer interested in living in the concrete jungle of the suburbs. The roots were planted to start learning about and practicing a more self-sufficient lifestyle. The path led to my quarter-acre property near the Highland-Ross county line.
Since then, amid all the travel involved in covering the RFK Jr. presidential campaign among other assignments, I began growing some produce in the Tower Garden and experimenting with microgreens. Those are interests I continue to expand.
This past year, I had my first garden – a mix of herbs, tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers in raised beds. Some of the herbs, and the cherry tomatoes, were winners. I flopped on the rest, but it left me wanting to learn more. Next year, I plan on growing ingredients for homemade salsa and adding medicinal herbs so there is a purpose for everything I grow.
As part of my quest to become more self-sufficient, I’m developing networks with local farmers and homesteaders where I can get meat, eggs, honey, and produce. And, as part of that, I’ve launched All In Ohio, a website about all things homesteading, sustainable living, and rural living in Ohio. It includes articles from experts in those topics, original content that I write, and stories about rural towns, interesting people, destinations, and history in Ohio.
The degrees of growth didn’t stop there. Moving down here, expanding my interest in sustainable living, and debuting All In Ohio led to something that is deeply meaningful to me. I’ve written about my faith on Facebook – how I was raised in a small non-denominational church surrounded by family, how I kept my faith as an adult but was a lukewarm Christian for much of my life, and how that faith reached a new level a few years ago when I finally committed the way I should.
That faith continues to grow as I am a work in progress and aspire to be better tomorrow than I am today, even when I fall short today.
My first year down here, I didn’t get a chance to really get involved, develop roots, and meet people. My travel schedule – frequently being on the road covering a presidential election among other assignments – resulted in delaying getting involved the way I want.
Then Hurricane Helene happened in late September, and western North Carolina was impacted by a disaster Biblical in proportions with the remnants of a hurricane, offshoot tornadoes, monumental flooding, mudslides, and landslides.
Some of you have read my story of surviving the ’74 Xenia tornado, which to this day is one of the most destructive natural disasters in American history. I’ve written dozens of stories about the experience over the years. I also lost my home in Hurricane Charley in 2004 when I lived in Florida. Also, over the years, I’ve covered the aftermath of multiple disasters as a journalist.
I didn’t know what to expect when I headed down to western North Carolina on assignment around 10 days after Helene struck. What I saw was something far worse than any disaster I’ve personally experienced or covered. Typical hurricanes and tornadoes are destructive and tragic.
When you go through a disaster, it’s common to wonder how on earth will you ever recover and ask if things will ever be the same. What happened in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee is a once in centuries event because of the widespread devastation created by the aforementioned combination of storms.
I didn’t feel right solely covering the aftermath. Though I do believe that telling the stories of what is happening there and bringing to life the efforts of exceptional people committed to helping their communities recover is important, it’s not enough.
Around the time of that first visit to cover the Helene recovery efforts, I became part of a Facebook group chat of locals here in Highland County who were gathering and delivering supplies for residents and communities impacted by Helene in western North Carolina. We decided that we would be more effective if we would collaborate and work together. This is how Strangers Helping Strangers was born.
Since early October, as a group we have shifted from gathering and delivering supplies to raising funds and gathering materials to build shelters for residents in western North Carolina displaced by Helene.
More than two months after the disaster, many people are still living in cars, tents, or homes that are severely damaged and filled with mold and mud. Many areas in the mountains, outside of the main streets in the small towns, look like day one after Helene. Even some towns, like Swannanoa, look like a week after Helene. Winter is here, and winters are harsh in the mountains.
There is a sense of urgency to keep helping, especially since Helene is no longer in the national news cycle and there are fewer volunteers.
Strangers Helping Strangers has evolved. We are an incorporated nonprofit with plans to become a 501c3 in early 2025. Our plan is to focus on raising funds, gathering materials, and building shelters for people displaced by Helene in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, We have developed relationships with a few select vetted nonprofits on the ground there.
Our 2025 plan also includes preparing some shelters and raising funds for and gathering supplies to have on hand for disasters here in southern Ohio. We are seeking to partner with churches and other nonprofits across the area so we are prepared to respond when disaster strikes here at home.
Part of our mission also includes performing community projects, like the Christmas toy giveaway on Christmas Eve in the Rural King parking lot in Hillsboro.
We will have a fundraising kickoff event in late February, but the response in donations we have seen already is heartwarming and inspiring.
The evolution of my life over the last 15 months since moving down here is reaching what I envisioned by getting involved and getting to know people.
I’m grateful for the friendships developed with fellow Strangers Helping Strangers board members. We are a true team that works well together, and each of us has our own set of skills.
I’m excited about life centered around faith that includes what I do as a journalist, All In Ohio, and Strangers Helping Strangers.
Every morning after I wake up and every night before I go to bed, I take Boston for a walk and stand at the front of my quarter-acre property that has a neighborhood in back but nothing but farm fields, woods, and hills across the road.
I love the sunsets. I love how the stars and the moon seem brighter amid the beautiful dark night sky.
I love how the air is fresher. I love the sincerity and content feeling of the people here. I love how life is simpler.
And knowing what is happening in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, more than ever I am thankful for my small renovated house and my quarter-acre property far away from the suburbs and cities.
May we all appreciate the beauty of ordinary days and a life centered around faith in God and the direction He leads us.