Eastern Washington's weather is unpredictable, to say the least. Though one might expect sunshine and heat waves in the summer, 2022 had a different story for my community. I could tell you about the giant hailstorm that shattered windshields and caused roof replacements, but that wasn't the worst of it. Just two weeks after the storm, our family shop burned down. The fire inspector determined that the storm had exposed some old electrical wiring at the back of the shop, which ignited sawdust near my dad’s saw. To add to the irony, my dad had broken his leg three months earlier, leaving him in a wheelchair. As we were preparing dinner, my mom smelled smoke. We rushed outside to find our shop in flames. Within ten minutes, volunteers from the nearby fire station arrived. They spent three days and nights ensuring the fire was out, as it kept reigniting due to the propane and gasoline tanks stored inside. While I am immensely grateful to the firefighters, they were not the only ones who came to our aid. Our neighbor, Sue, an eclectic woman with a passion for rebuilding hot rods, offered her home to my parents when ours became uninhabitable due to smoke and power outages. Other neighbors took in my brother, while friends in South Hill sheltered me. Newman Lake is one of the smallest towns in Eastern Washington, with little more than a namesake lake, a sandwich shop, a gas station, and a close-knit community. I owe them more than I can ever repay. Unfortunately, our summer's misfortunes didn’t end there. It’s become a running joke in our family that summer is the season to visit doctors, catch up with relatives, and brace for the worst. Just a week before I returned home from my second year of college, my mom suffered a stroke. My mother, a tough, no-nonsense, joke-loving woman from Mexico, has had her share of health problems over the years, but nothing like this. While pulling an all-nighter for my political thought class, my brother texted that our mom had fallen. Thirty minutes later, my dad confirmed she had a stroke and was at Deaconess Hospital in Spokane. I tried to push it out of my mind to focus on finals, but coming home that Saturday evening to see her was devastating. She wore her pearls and makeup, but she wasn’t truly present. Thanks to the dedicated hospital staff and a week of physical therapy at St. Luke’s, my mom is now almost back to her old self. One of the nurses mentioned that she’d never seen so many visitors for one patient before. This overwhelming support from our community is something I’ll never forget. In return, I do what I can to give back, whether it’s babysitting, helping neighbors with odd jobs, or baking 50 pies for a child’s birthday. Growing up in Newman Lake has shown me that while disasters can’t be avoided, the people around you can make all the difference.