Jordan: Together we breathe, we hope, and we will recover

Dum Spiro Spero …

When I was in third grade, and my class studied South Carolina history, our state motto was just some foreign gibberish to me. Mrs. Stuart told us what it translated to; but it didn’t really hold substance.

Now that I am grown, and those close to me are touched by sickness, and the frequency of personal loss of family and friends increases with each passing year, and life becomes more precious, those words become relevant. More so every day.

While I breathe, I hope.

No words have ever held as much meaning to me as these have over the past few months.

First, I watched as Charleston mourned nine individuals senselessly murdered. I wondered how my state would react. Would we riot and burn Charleston as if General Sherman had returned to the South? Would there be attacks on parishioners at other churches? I should have known better than to let such thoughts even cross my mind. My state reacted with love, compassion and generosity. We showed others how they should respond to tragedy. We were a shining beacon of hope in a world where all hope sometimes seems lost.

Now, less than four months later, our state has been struck by yet another devastating blow. We were told that it would be historic, catastrophic. I don’t believe anyone thought it would be this disastrous. And even though this trial is far from over, we can already see this state rising to the occasion. We have seen neighbors helping neighbors, first responders unselfishly putting their lives on the line, public servants working long hours to restore power, water and faith.

Thirty-two- year-old Forest Acres Police Officer Greg Alia was laid to rest on a Saturday, after being shot in the line of duty. Three days later, his widow, Kassy Alia, was volunteering at Harvest Hope Food Bank to help her community recover from the flood. She said she “felt driven to come out and give back to the community who has given us so much.”

That’s what those words mean: We can overcome, like the city of Charleston. They mean that we can help one another, like the citizens of Columbia. Most importantly, they mean that we can persevere through personal tragedy, like Kassy Alia.

Dum Spiro Spero.

While I breathe, I hope.

I cannot think of a more fitting motto for my great state of South Carolina.

This story was originally published October 10, 2015 at 11:32 AM with the headline "Jordan: Together we breathe, we hope, and we will recover."