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Opinion

The people who helped us in Odessa after the mass shooting give me hope

Hope is a tangible gift that is given whenever darkness becomes a reality in the life of another.

Editor’s note: The column is part of a series of personal opinion essays about hope. We asked community and faith leaders to answer the question, when life feels dark, what gives you hope? We will publish the essays throughout December.

Get weekly roundups of the project in your email in-box by signing up for the Living Our Faith newsletter.

A mother lies in a dusty field on top of her children as she shields them from gunfire. She screams in absolute terror as they stare death in the face. Law enforcement officers quickly appear to protect the innocent in the midst of a mass shooting in Odessa.

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Just a few miles away, a young family enjoys an outing with their 17-month-old daughter on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. They hear gunshots and realize their child has been shot in the face. They quickly stop their vehicle and are surrounded by people who witnessed the incident and offer to help.

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A family of four is stranded on the second floor of their home as floodwaters completely fill the first floor. Braving the pouring rain and rising waters of Hurricane Harvey in Houston, two men in a boat come by to ferry the family safely to dry land.

After the storm has passed, a little boy sleeps on a wet mattress and walks on wet carpet for days. The lack of electricity coupled with the hot and humid weather conditions turn his small first-floor apartment into a steam bath. The child’s teacher learns of the situation and helps the family find a new place to live.

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From the floodwaters of Hurricane Harvey to the mass shooting in Odessa, to the daily trauma that life can bring, we learn darkness has many forms. The bigger lesson, however, is that hope is ever-present.

In the aftermath of these two tragedies, thousands of volunteers showed up to help and donations of food, clothing, supplies and millions of dollars poured into both cities. First responders from all over the U.S. descended upon the cities to provide aid, and sympathetic people sent thousands of cards, emails and texts with messages of encouragement and support.

Hope displays itself in authentic ways as people do whatever they can to help those in need.

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Life has taught me that hope is much more than a feeling or an idea. Hope is a very tangible gift that is contained within an individual and is given whenever darkness becomes a reality in the life of another. One might say I am an optimist, but I have a lifetime worth of evidence that proves hope is generously given in our world every single day. People give me hope.

Scott Muri is superintendent of Ector County ISD. After the mass shooting in Odessa in August, Muri drew on his experience as an administrator in a district affected by Hurricane Harvey to help students traumatized by the violence. He wrote this column for The Dallas Morning News.