Fantastic Friday: Human Chain Saves Lives

August is prime beach time, and anyone caught in a rip tide or current knows how frightening it can be. Last month, I came upon this news story about a group of 80 people who formed a human chain from beach to save a family who was caught in the current in Panama City Beach, Florida.

Myrtle Beach in 2013.

It was a moment that would make John Steinbeck proud, something he would capture in a modern-day Grapes of Wrath, perhaps. It was a moment of complete strangers seeing someone in trouble and working together across gender and social lines to save other strangers.

It’s easy to get caught up in hate and take sides and call names, but it’s nice to know that in a true moment of need, we are quick to come to each other’s aid. Every time I go to the beach, I feel like the ocean is always teaching me something: serenity or humility or gratitude. It seems even when I’m not at the beach, the ocean is always providing.