Lean on Me

We don't accomplish anything in this world alone ... and whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one's life and all the weavings of individual threads from one to another that creates something. ~ Sandra Day O'Connor

Have I mentioned lately how proud I am to be a part of the Yasui family? Well, if I haven't, then I should have. From the moment I met Corey I knew he was part of a special family and I knew that I'd be lucky to be a part of it, even if only as a friend. Lucky for me, the man loved me and now I have the joy of sharing his name.

I mentioned in a blog several weeks back that Don Poole, a family friend, was in a tragic accident that resulted in the loss of his legs. He's a cherry grower and here we are in one of the craziest harvest seasons I've seen. Our family knew that there would be expenses this year for Don above and beyond anything he could imagine and those expenses would most definitely affect his ability to get his cherries packed and shipped out. Well, this family, as giving and loving as they are, offered up our cherry line for Don to use. Corey was able to gather tens of volunteers to work 2 evening shifts (we had to use the day shift for our own cherry sorting). The volunteer crew included all the field staff from Diamond Fruit, the Diamond CEO, CFO and many others from the Board of Directors. Office staff, line staff, Quality Control personnel, Operations personnel and even a couple who sorted at Diamond during the day shift offered up their hands to sort the cherries for Don. Those in Don's family who could be there were, including his son Adam. And, of course, our family - Corey, Flip, Maija, Tom, Leslie, Matt and Niko all took part and were there for the entire run of the cherries. It was quite a production and I was so proud to see our community coming together to assist one of our own during a time when he needed help most. Together, these families, friends and co-workers packed around 700 boxes of cherries. I stopped in with the kids on the last evening of packing and the scene brought a tear to my eye. Everyone was working diligently and with concentration - most of these people had never sorted or packed cherries in their life, but this night they looked as if they'd done it for years and they loved their jobs. Upon meeting Adam, Don's son, I could see that he was so incredibly humbled by what their family had been given. Through his exhaustion, the sweat dripping from his head and his dirt covered clothes, he had a smile that pretty much lit up that whole packing house. In fact, each person in that packing house was doused with dirt, sweat and a huge smile. Not one person that was there looked as if they didn't want to be there.

I am proud of this family for providing this opportunity for the Poole's. And, I'm proud of my husband for doing all the work to orchestrate such a successful community endeavor. Both evenings that Corey arrived home it was after midnight. He'd slept about 3 hours the first night and about 6 or 7 the next. I figured that he'd be overwhelmed with exhaustion. But, instead, he was overwhelmed with awe. He sat on the couch upon his arrival home each night, and boasted of all who were there, all the boxes they'd packed and how everyone worked so hard to get the job done. He was proud of himself for arranging everything, and proud of everyone who offered their time and energy. This experience enriched Corey's life a little, I believe. I am proud of my husband for all he has done, and that huge heart is just part of what made me fall in love with him.

Maija will be writing about this in her column and the Hood River News will be doing an article on the event, as well. I doubt I'll forget this for years to come. There are so many wonderful things about living in a small community, and events as such are proof of that. It's certain that all the people who helped with this have taken something positive from this experience. Whether it be a new respect for those who work the cherry lines, or whether it's a whole new outlook on giving back to the community, each person now has something that they didn't have before.

All proudness aside, we're hoping for all the best in Don's rehabilitation, and, if we're able to do this again for their family, we hope that Don can be right there, watching over his cherries, and see first hand the love that this community has. Now, hopefully soon I'll actually get to meet the man whose unfortunate accident brought this community together. For that, I thank him.