Here in Texas, you have the saying, "Remember the Alamo," to remind each other of the few who fought against great odds but never lost their spirits. Yes, they lost the battle, and many battles are lost while tremendous spirits prevail. Perhaps we should start a new saying: "Remember the Angel Tree!" You people know first hand how you can make a difference and how every little bit counts. You know that great spirits and giving hearts prevail no matter the odds.
 Hurricane Katrina devastated our neighboring states and decimated the lives of so many, leaving us to once again fight against great odds. Will we win? Of course not--Katrina already won! 
However, we will not be discouraged and beaten. We will continue to live, to help, and to remember. We will fight back with great spirits--it is a Texan tradition--it is a human tradition!
Recently, someone was telling me how one person cannot make a difference. REALLY? I just can't believe that. I am living proof that one person can make a difference. 
In high school, I had a wonderful teacher who made a difference for me--so much of a difference that I am still alive today because he cared. The difference he made in me changed who I would eventually grow up to be; made a difference for who I would become as a parent and as a teacher. And as a teacher, I have made a difference many times over for my students who, in turn, continue to make a difference in my life while they grow and begin to make a difference in the world around them.
We are a web--each strand vital, thriving, and well-connected. We make a difference every day! When the world cries, we hear and understand; we act! We are not afraid to help, to share, to stand up. Katrina may have won the initial battle, but we will win the rest--we will help the refugees of Hurricane Katrina, and we will MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
One of my favorite authors once wrote the following:
"No man is an Island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee." --John Donne
What he meant is that if one person is hurt or dies, that event has a ripple effect, (a butterfly effect) and eventually, we will all feel the results. 
Please donate your time, your money, and your heart to the people who now need you so very much. I am adding a few links to organizations who can collect and direct your donations. Be a hero; have a heart!
The RED CROSS https://www.redcross.org/donate/redir.asp?OID=Advance Internet&DID=09022005
The HUMANE SOCIETY https://secure.hsus.org/01/disaster_relief_fund_2005? (there are thousands of misplaced and injured pets who need adoptive families, foster families, food, and shelter.)
I LOVE YOU!!! Make me proud!
XOXO
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LOVE
