ABCs of Life

 

I was getting ready for work one day last week and found myself gazing at an “ABC” list of life advice sign in our home.  It is a list of great life suggestions we received from some wonderful friends.  The “G” caught my eye, as I have clearly done that!  More importantly, the “Y” jumped out at me. In this contentious world we need more of this. In glancing at the rest of the list, there are several that I need to be more conscious of doing, maybe the “N”. What about you? They don’t all apply to everyone, but most of them do. Life is short, here are 26 things to do while you can…

Avoid Collagen, Bloom Late, Celebrate, Dance At Weddings, Eat More Chocolate, Fall In Love Again, Go Grey, Hold Hands, Inspire, Jettison Grudges, Kiss Like You Mean It, Laugh, Mend Fences, Nurture Friendships, Open Doors, Perspire With Aplomb, Quit Whining, Rekindle Romance, Spoil Babies, Teach Someone To Read, Upset Convention, Volunteer, Wear Red, eXpect Joy, Yield Gracefully, Zing

ABCs of Life

I was getting ready for work one day last week and found myself gazing at an “ABC” list of life advice in our bedroom.  It is a list of great life suggestions we received from some wonderful friends.  The “D” jumped out at me, since I had done that the weekend before. The “G” had also caught my eye, as I have clearly done that!  In glancing at the rest of the list, there are several that I need to be more conscious of doing. What about you? They don’t all apply to everyone, but most of them do. Life is short, here are 24 things to do while you can…

Avoid Collagen, Bloom Late, Celebrate, Dance At Weddings, Eat More Chocolate, Fall In Love Again, Go Grey, Hold Hands, Inspire, Jettison Grudges, Kiss Like You Mean It, Laugh, Mend Fences, Nurture Friendships, Open Doors, Perspire With Aplomb, Quit Whining, Rekindle Romance, Spoil Babies, Teach Someone To Read, Upset Convention, Volunteer, Wear Red, eXpect Joy, Yield Gracefully, Zing

Proud to be a Houstonian, Proud to be a Texan

The greater Houston area, as well as most of the Texas coast and east Texas, have been ravaged by a storm of historic proportions over the last week.  The widespread devastation is unprecedented. 

The best in humanity can be seen in trying circumstances.  Our response as people caring for one another has been impressive.

•   First responders and emergency personnel have risked their lives for others.
•  The volunteer based Cajun navy has rescued thousands.
•   Volunteers and donations at shelters and churches have been overwhelming.
•   Neighboring communities and states have sent all forms of aid.
•   Cities far and wide have shared nurses, emergency responders and supplies.
•   People are showing up to clean up the homes of perfect strangers. 

But here is what impresses me the most…  None of these people see race or color when they show up to help.  Volunteers are not concerned with how someone voted; they just see people who are in need.  Ordinary people have gone to extraordinary lengths in order to help others, regardless of race, neighborhood, political party or job title.  Those impacted have not blamed the government.  We are not waiting on FEMA or crying for government assistance.  We are helping one another, rolling up our sleeves and working towards recovery.    

The national media has tried to divide us.  We have been asked to place blame.  Reporters have wanted us to suggest that the city or county could have done more.  It has been implied that poor decisions were made by our leaders.  As a people, we have stayed above that.  We have focused on the task at hand, helping others.  What I have seen is a sincere response from people out of love and caring, a deep desire to help this entire area through a horrific disaster.

We do not know how long this recovery will take, but we are off to an amazing start!  The outpouring of support and assistance will bring Houston back.  It makes me proud to be a Houstonian, proud to be a Texan.  #texasstrong