It looked so strong, the new building. So solid, so stable. It looked like it could withstand anything. And we’re in Central Israel, for goodness’ sakes, how bad could a storm be? How much damage could a little wind do?
It looked so established, the new building. Just like all the other buildings. Some of them have only been around a few months, some a few years. But some are over 100 years old, and they’ve withstood the test of time – winter wind, scorching summer sun, windstorms and sandstorms and rainstorms.
It looked so unbendable, the new building.
But the first strong wind knocked the roof right off.
The first strong wind caught us unprepared. We were all shocked. The very newness of the building made it all the more devastating. We’d barely finished cutting the ribbon, and here the building had become a useless, lifeless shell. Worse, it had become dangerous – a mass of open wires.
Many of us who live here on Retorno’s campus, who are recovering here, we thought that this building was a total loss. That all the hard work that had gone into it had been one big waste. But some of us, those who have been around awhile and those who now live on the other side of the gate, told us otherwise. Watch, they said, and see for yourself.
So we watched.
Immediately, a new roof was ordered. Within days, the roof arrived. The crane came, dismantling the huge, broken pieces and bringing in the new materials the very same day. We watched as the crane laid the roof pieces on top of the building. Piece after gargantuan piece. And before the sun went down, the new roof was in place.
Some of us wondered if the building would ever be the same again, if it could be as strong – or if the next wind would simply knock it down again. But those who have been around a while assured us that we learn from our mistakes, that if we approach it correctly, mistakes can make us stronger. When something falls, we learn more about its weaknesses, and we are more careful next time. It is possible to rebuild! And not just a makeshift building, a mere shell of what was. We can build something stronger, more durable.
I still have some construction to do, here, on the inside. I think of the damaged building, the open wires, the floor exposed to the sky, the sun, the rain. I think of the way they are attaching the new roof differently, so that it’s built to withstand a storm even stronger than the one we experienced.
I want to build a good, solid structure. I want to be ready. For when the wind comes.
