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   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAn4b_a37-M           Corny as it sounds, it's been said.... the fragrance of a flower lingers on your hand long after you have given the flower away..  Those words probably best describe what it feels like to be part of something so big. Back in 2005, I was so moved, I found myself heading off to Mississippi to be part of something bigger than my own little world. To be part of a moment in time when the problems in that corner of our country were so overwhelming, so devastating, so final for so very many people. For me, I knew that sending a check in the mail just wasn't an option. At the time, I had the luxury of having the time and support from my family and friends to be able to help first hand. I had an opportunity to have the adventure of a lifetime, to take a risk and give with all my heart. I felt it was something I just had to do.  Before leaving for my trip, I organized and gathered donations of baby clothes, diapers, formula and toys for the children I knew I would find on my trip. I multiplied my efforts by contacting the local radio stations and using my baby photography studio as a drop location. I used my connections with other small businesses who were also in the baby world to act as drop locations all over the Seattle area. Donations poured in. Continental Airlines allowed me to fly with several dozen boxes of donated items all the way across the United States to my destination for no extra fee. Yippeee!  If there is one thing I've learned about volunteering over the years...it's that you have to check your ego at the door (and your vanity!!) Of course there were some bumps, OHMYGOSH, the heat, humidity and the BUGS!! Not to mention that we only had one shower for the volunteers... that meant showering in a shower that 60 other people had showered in that day... sleeping in a church nursery on the floor. And did I mention that I had really BIG hair from the humidity !!! Honestly, I had everything I needed, sunscreen, water and bug spray. It was easy to keep my eyes on my number one purpose and that was to bring a smile and positive energy to a corner of the world that was in such turmoil. To people who had lost so much and to the people who were working so hard as volunteers. I learned to balance taking care of myself and being able to give and share. In the end, I took home so much more than I ever thought possible. People were so grateful and appreciative. I saw it, day in and day out. I saw people working and pulling together, the Amish, the Jehovah's Witnesses, and the Atheists... it was a sight to see. I saw the good instead of the devastation. There would have been no point to focus on the devastation, that old saying, "it is what it is" was never more true. I wasn't sure if I would know when it was time to come home, but I did. That moment came after nearly two weeks one evening when I found myself sleeping on two metal chairs pushed together in the basement of a New Orleans church. I had given all I had to give and it felt great! YouTube here...share my experience    |
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Five years later-- Katrina in my Rear View Mirror...a reflection.
