[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 11 (Thursday, February 12, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E169]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       A HEARTFELT THANK YOU TO THE SHERMAN CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SCOTTY BAESLER

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 12, 1998

  Mr. BAESLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer my heartfelt thanks 
and continuing gratitude to the Sherman Congregational Church in 
Sherman, Connecticut, and indeed, my thanks to the entire town of 
Sherman, Connecticut.
  Last March, Kentucky was struck by one of the worst natural disasters 
in recent memory. After nights of rain, streets became canals and 
roadways became rivers. Cars and trucks competed with boats and rafts 
for the right of way. Flood waters transformed neighborhood parks into 
tributaries as nature ran amok.
  Members of the Sherman Congregational Church saw pictures of the 
devastation in Paris, Kentucky, and throughout Bourbon County, 
Kentucky. Their hearts went out to the families without homes, and the 
children without toys. The Church and the town of Sherman reached out 
to us--calling the Paris/Bourbon County Chamber of Commerce and 
offering their assistance. Truckloads of supplies were sent to help out 
the residents of Paris and Bourbon County. The response from Sherman 
was so great that Paris and Bourbon County were able to share those 
supplies with surrounding communities in need.
  But the generosity did not end when the flood waters receded. In 
November, members of the Sherman Congregational Church called again, 
asking for the names, ages, and addresses for the families who were 
victims of the flood. More than 30 boxes arrived from Sherman 
containing gifts for 59 families, and the 119 children who lost so much 
in the flood.
  Tragedies are eyeopening. They reveal a great deal about the human 
spirit. They teach us about the value of things we often take for 
granted in our fast-paced workaday world. Natural disasters have a way 
of changing our smug assumptions about being self-made people who can 
live to ourselves and by ourselves. They teach us the value of friends 
and neighbors.
  Centuries ago, someone asked the question, ``who is my neighbor?'' 
Although the word comes from an old English word meaning ``near 
dweller,'' the proximity of people does not define neighborliness. It 
is the proximity of the human heart during a moment of crisis that 
perhaps defines it best.
  I speak for thousands of Kentucky residents when I say that we are 
grateful that the town of Sherman reached out to us--as their neighbor. 
We are grateful for your friendship and for your concern, and we will 
never forget you.

                          ____________________