My lovely Greece ❤️. It breaks my heart to see what this beautiful little country has been through, but it lifts me up to see such strength and generosity in the darkest of times.
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The past week has been incredibly difficult as fires raged through forests and towns, most of all for those who lost their homes and livelihoods in the chaos.
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But in the midst of all this destruction, it’s been incredibly touching to see the overwhelming flood of volunteers and donations pouring in from all over Greece to help those affected.
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Yesterday people came by one of the many donation centers to leave everything and anything they could find or buy: food, clothes, pet food, food for livestock, medicine, an old wheelchair, baby food. Many centers have already requested a halt in donations as there are already way more than they expected.
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This country may be small, may not have that much money, may be faulty and disorganized in many ways. After all, it’s not enough to fix and rebuild now; we must also do our best to set up systems to make sure such a tragedy never happens again.
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But it touches my heart every time to see that here, when people are truly in need, they seldom walk alone.
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Greeks are quick to point out their society’s faults; but let’s not also take our virtues for granted. So many people ran into the danger zones to help evacuate people and animals and try to protect towns from the flames. So many drivers, lawyers, doctors, specialists of all kinds are offering their services for free for those touched by the fires. That doesn’t happen everywhere.
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May we never lose our resilience, our compassion, our courage, the fighting spirit we always carry with us as we get hit by crisis after crisis. My heart is always home 🇬🇷
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