If you think America has lost its neighborly spirit, the people of Tolland, MA are here to prove that it’s stronger than ever.
When a fire left the Mendelssohns’ house in cinders, things looked bleak for the family. Though no one was hurt, the amount of physical and emotional rebuilding ahead of them was daunting. But word spread fast throughout their town, and the next morning, the Mendelssohns woke up to something incredible: Their community had come together to write and read them a scathing critique of fire.
Wow. What a powerful show of love and support!
After gathering inside the inn where the Mendelssohn family spent the night, community members passed around a microphone hooked up to loudspeakers so everyone could read a passage from the diatribe. The hundreds of assembled Tollanders systematically tore into fire, calling it “a waste of heat and light” and “flickering bullshit.” From its bland color palette to its utter lack of respect for life and well-being, no aspect of fire was safe from their 12,000-word denunciation.
It’s a testament to just how quickly Tolland came together that the polemic, titled “Fire: A Hot Wad Of Nothing,” was even published in that morning’s edition of the Berkshire Eagle. Not only that, but when the community members finished reading, they even presented the family with their own laminated copy in a three-ring binder, signed by the whole community.
Just beautiful. It goes to show that neighbors can be more than just the people you live next to. They can be the people who are there when you need it most!
