“Love together with pity are necessities, non luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.” ― Dalai Lama
Typically, I am a rattling focused writer. Each post, for the most part, contains ideas together with strategies focusing on improving teaching, learning, together with leadership. I oft utter nigh accountability, evidence, together with efficacy. This post volition non follow that recipe. Please excuse whatever grammatical mistakes.
When I began writing this post my solid was existence pelted amongst a wind-driven pelting from the remnants of Hurricane Harvey. By the fourth dimension I genuinely got about to posting this slice on my spider web log the Houston surface area is withal drying out. This has at i time been the worst overflowing inwards the history of the United States. Having route out Hurricane Sandy inwards New York City dorsum inwards 2012 I tin tell that this sense was worse. In but 57 hours Harvey went from basically zilch to a Category 4 hurricane, the strongest to hitting Texas inwards unopen to 50 years. The flooding together with impairment inwards the areas where the tempest hitting is unimaginable.
We received but about 28 inches of pelting inwards but 2 days. Things downwards hither were worse than what people were seeing on the news. For a 24-hour stream Sat into Sunday, at that spot were non-stop tornado warnings amongst a bunch touching downwards inwards our neighborhood making slumber difficult. My kids slept inwards the cupboard for 2 nights every bit they were scared to death. All roads in/out of our community were flooded, hence nosotros couldn’t go out if nosotros wanted to. I was exterior constantly draining my puddle every bit the surrounding drains wouldn’t take away maintain been able to do anything amongst the water. The puddle could take away maintain flooded my entire solid from the back. On Mon morning time the H2O was exclusively a few feet from our house. I wasn't worried until then. We take away maintain a lake on the left side of our solid every bit good every bit i inwards the front. The lake across the street had spilled over together with merged amongst some other lake. All I could do at that call for was pray for the pelting to stop. Click HERE is you lot desire to run across a video from the early on stages of the storm. You tin also stance some tempest motion-picture exhibit on my Instagram account.
Late Mon afternoon a river began pouring into our department together with the forecast wasn’t looking every bit good good. Water levels kept rising. Since the H2O was exclusively a few feet from our doors nosotros decided to seal them using a method that i of our community members recommended on Facebook. One of our saving graces were the local Facebook pages inwards our community offering support, advice, together with needed sense of humor to accept our minds off things. The lake to the left of our solid eventually breached. We moved all of import materials to the 2nd level. We had friends amongst boats who could acquire us out if needed. It was terrifying to know that no affair what you lot did it would non live plenty if nature had its way.
Monday black nosotros planned for the worst. However, our prayers were answered Tuesday morning. Even though it was withal raining the H2O began to recede. We had 33 inches of pelting acre southward of us had over 40. We felt blessed together with extremely lucky at the same time. Both airports were withal closed at this fourth dimension together with flooding to the southward of us had turned catastrophic. My promise was that the H2O had receded plenty hence I could go out of my community together with assistance inwards whatever means I could. Finally, after that twenty-four hr stream I was able to start to assistance those inwards demand inwards my community. Thanks to my vecino together with his truck nosotros made it to the grocery shop to purchase needed supplies for displaced families. As nosotros were buying supplies people inwards describe of piece of work began to chip in. I began to milk shiver together with held dorsum tears. Humanity was start to ascent to the occasion.
By Midweek the H2O inwards the community I alive inwards had receded for the most part. Our efforts were at i time focused on helping those about us who were non every bit fortunate. I teared upwardly when I arrived at the local church building amongst supplies together with saw at that spot was a describe of piece of work to drib off items. More people were volunteering across Harvey stricken areas than were needed. We saw (and are withal seeing) people measuring upwardly together with piece of work together regardless of race, ethnicity, political affiliations, sexual orientation, together with whatever other conflicts arose inwards the past. Now that's humanity at its finest. Some people were sure wondering why I was posting hence much nigh what I was specifically doing to help. It's pretty uncomplicated - my promise was that my pocket-size actions would inspire to a greater extent than people to accept activity together with help. I told people on Facebook non to live proud of me for doing what was right. Be proud if a displace results.
Will you lot measuring up?
Thursday was a physically exhausting day. It had been half dozen days since the hurricane hitting together with many homes that took on H2O but had it recede. H5N1 bunch of us from my neighborhood drove xxx miles southward to hard-hit Richmond, TX to assistance out the virile someone parent of i of our neighbors. I inwards item wasn't cook for the scale of the flooding. Watching it on TV together with and hence seeing it inwards someone are 2 unlike things. Mountains of debris littered the neighborhood. However, what you lot saw were people from all walks of life meeting to pitch inwards together with salve homes.
While I was at that spot I kept getting e-mail notifications that brought me to tears (again). Friends, quondam students, together with neighbors had begun to ship coin to my PayPal account. This all started the a twenty-four hr stream earlier when a fellow member of my PLN asked if he could ship coin for my furnish runs. I never asked for whatever coin to live sent together with withal haven't, but you lot cannot deny the human spirit. I used some of the coin to purchase pizza for the entire neighborhood where nosotros were helping. This was made possible thank you lot to the pity of others. There is hence much skillful inwards people. This is my big takeaway these yesteryear few days. I didn’t know what tomorrow would select for me, but I do know countless to a greater extent than people nigh together with far would ascent to the occasion to help.
On my means dorsum domicile I saw local CFISD schools doing a “fill the boat” fundraiser. It's ever peachy to run across students, teachers, together with parents rallying together to back upwardly the needs of others. The residuum of the twenty-four hr stream was spent working to salve flooded homes. Many homes were withal flooded together with couldn’t live tended to together with the bulk of Texans don't take away maintain overflowing insurance, which makes the province of affairs much worse. My neighbors together with I formed our ain footling cleanup crew. We were able to hitting 2 unlike locations. What was awesome to run across was how local cleanup crews from across the greater Houston community formed. Social media was existence used to organize together with dispatch teams to specific addresses. I fifty-fifty learned of a novel app called Zello that many were using to coordinate efforts. So many people took off piece of work together with fourth dimension away from their families to assistance people, many of which they didn’t fifty-fifty know. It was a humbling sense to run across many people occupation their privilege for good.
All calendar week I was bombarded amongst texts, calls, emails, together with social media posts from friends together with seat unit of measurement all over the world. People I barely know or didn’t fifty-fifty know at all took the fourth dimension to accomplish out. No i genuinely knew what nosotros were dealing amongst together with how bad the flooding was inwards my community. As I posted daily updates on my Facebook page to a greater extent than together with to a greater extent than people offered prayers together with support. Through it all everyone asked what they could do to assistance or wished they were inwards a seat to do more. The fact of the affair is if you lot made the endeavour together with took the fourth dimension to accomplish out to anyone impacted yesteryear this tempest together with hence you lot did all you lot could do.
My married adult woman together with I can't give thank you lot many of you lot plenty for all the thoughts together with prayers that were sent our way. The days since the tempest started take away maintain been excruciatingly long together with nerve-raking, but the messages of promise together with optimism helped us acquire through this fifty-fifty though the recovery endeavour has a long means to go. As all the messages of back upwardly flew inwards hence many people asked what they could do. My response was uncomplicated – “You’ve already done something but yesteryear showing you lot care.” Showing you lot aid for anyone hither inwards TX was all anyone could do from afar. One of humanity’s greatest gifts is empathy together with showing others compassion, no affair where you lot are.
It was refreshing inwards item to run across social media used for a greater operate other than but pushing out ideas, articles, thoughts, together with resources. I developed a greater appreciation (and at times cynicism if nosotros are existence honest) for how Twitter inwards item was used. When you lot await at life through a completely unlike lens you lot run across things that you lot never realized were correct inwards forepart of you. By putting work, personal issues, together with politics aside but for a few minutes many people rose to the occasion. They modeled the most enduring characteristics of humanity together with helped countless people (including me) acquire through this horrific ordeal. This mightiness live the most of import life lesson nosotros tin impart on our students together with proceed to larn ourselves.
Life is a gift. Together nosotros tin larn to improve appreciate this gift. We must occupation our diverse forms of privilege, including digital spaces, that many of us take away maintain non but during catastrophe’s similar this, but also inwards other cases when nosotros are compelled to do the correct thing. There is to a greater extent than LOVE hither than water. You can't become anywhere whatever non run across it. Love conquers all including whatever differences nosotros take away maintain that mightiness seem insurmountable. This is humanity’s gift.
Typically, I am a rattling focused writer. Each post, for the most part, contains ideas together with strategies focusing on improving teaching, learning, together with leadership. I oft utter nigh accountability, evidence, together with efficacy. This post volition non follow that recipe. Please excuse whatever grammatical mistakes.
When I began writing this post my solid was existence pelted amongst a wind-driven pelting from the remnants of Hurricane Harvey. By the fourth dimension I genuinely got about to posting this slice on my spider web log the Houston surface area is withal drying out. This has at i time been the worst overflowing inwards the history of the United States. Having route out Hurricane Sandy inwards New York City dorsum inwards 2012 I tin tell that this sense was worse. In but 57 hours Harvey went from basically zilch to a Category 4 hurricane, the strongest to hitting Texas inwards unopen to 50 years. The flooding together with impairment inwards the areas where the tempest hitting is unimaginable.
We received but about 28 inches of pelting inwards but 2 days. Things downwards hither were worse than what people were seeing on the news. For a 24-hour stream Sat into Sunday, at that spot were non-stop tornado warnings amongst a bunch touching downwards inwards our neighborhood making slumber difficult. My kids slept inwards the cupboard for 2 nights every bit they were scared to death. All roads in/out of our community were flooded, hence nosotros couldn’t go out if nosotros wanted to. I was exterior constantly draining my puddle every bit the surrounding drains wouldn’t take away maintain been able to do anything amongst the water. The puddle could take away maintain flooded my entire solid from the back. On Mon morning time the H2O was exclusively a few feet from our house. I wasn't worried until then. We take away maintain a lake on the left side of our solid every bit good every bit i inwards the front. The lake across the street had spilled over together with merged amongst some other lake. All I could do at that call for was pray for the pelting to stop. Click HERE is you lot desire to run across a video from the early on stages of the storm. You tin also stance some tempest motion-picture exhibit on my Instagram account.
Image credit: kindnessblogdotcom1.files.wordpress.com
Late Mon afternoon a river began pouring into our department together with the forecast wasn’t looking every bit good good. Water levels kept rising. Since the H2O was exclusively a few feet from our doors nosotros decided to seal them using a method that i of our community members recommended on Facebook. One of our saving graces were the local Facebook pages inwards our community offering support, advice, together with needed sense of humor to accept our minds off things. The lake to the left of our solid eventually breached. We moved all of import materials to the 2nd level. We had friends amongst boats who could acquire us out if needed. It was terrifying to know that no affair what you lot did it would non live plenty if nature had its way.
Monday black nosotros planned for the worst. However, our prayers were answered Tuesday morning. Even though it was withal raining the H2O began to recede. We had 33 inches of pelting acre southward of us had over 40. We felt blessed together with extremely lucky at the same time. Both airports were withal closed at this fourth dimension together with flooding to the southward of us had turned catastrophic. My promise was that the H2O had receded plenty hence I could go out of my community together with assistance inwards whatever means I could. Finally, after that twenty-four hr stream I was able to start to assistance those inwards demand inwards my community. Thanks to my vecino together with his truck nosotros made it to the grocery shop to purchase needed supplies for displaced families. As nosotros were buying supplies people inwards describe of piece of work began to chip in. I began to milk shiver together with held dorsum tears. Humanity was start to ascent to the occasion.
By Midweek the H2O inwards the community I alive inwards had receded for the most part. Our efforts were at i time focused on helping those about us who were non every bit fortunate. I teared upwardly when I arrived at the local church building amongst supplies together with saw at that spot was a describe of piece of work to drib off items. More people were volunteering across Harvey stricken areas than were needed. We saw (and are withal seeing) people measuring upwardly together with piece of work together regardless of race, ethnicity, political affiliations, sexual orientation, together with whatever other conflicts arose inwards the past. Now that's humanity at its finest. Some people were sure wondering why I was posting hence much nigh what I was specifically doing to help. It's pretty uncomplicated - my promise was that my pocket-size actions would inspire to a greater extent than people to accept activity together with help. I told people on Facebook non to live proud of me for doing what was right. Be proud if a displace results.
Will you lot measuring up?
Thursday was a physically exhausting day. It had been half dozen days since the hurricane hitting together with many homes that took on H2O but had it recede. H5N1 bunch of us from my neighborhood drove xxx miles southward to hard-hit Richmond, TX to assistance out the virile someone parent of i of our neighbors. I inwards item wasn't cook for the scale of the flooding. Watching it on TV together with and hence seeing it inwards someone are 2 unlike things. Mountains of debris littered the neighborhood. However, what you lot saw were people from all walks of life meeting to pitch inwards together with salve homes.
While I was at that spot I kept getting e-mail notifications that brought me to tears (again). Friends, quondam students, together with neighbors had begun to ship coin to my PayPal account. This all started the a twenty-four hr stream earlier when a fellow member of my PLN asked if he could ship coin for my furnish runs. I never asked for whatever coin to live sent together with withal haven't, but you lot cannot deny the human spirit. I used some of the coin to purchase pizza for the entire neighborhood where nosotros were helping. This was made possible thank you lot to the pity of others. There is hence much skillful inwards people. This is my big takeaway these yesteryear few days. I didn’t know what tomorrow would select for me, but I do know countless to a greater extent than people nigh together with far would ascent to the occasion to help.
“There is no practise improve for the pump than reaching downwards together with lifting people up.” ― John HolmesBy Fri I couldn’t believe it had already been a calendar week since the tempest hit. This was the longest 7 twenty-four hr stream stretch of my life. After helping out my neighbors amongst a flooded domicile the twenty-four hr stream earlier I took to social media at night. Twitter was used to create awareness together with portion information nigh where donations were needed. Facebook had been a godsend inwards price of identifying people who needed immediate help. I learned of a few families who lost everything. Thanks to some generous donations I was able to purchase gift cards for clothes/supplies together with paw delivered them that morning.
On my means dorsum domicile I saw local CFISD schools doing a “fill the boat” fundraiser. It's ever peachy to run across students, teachers, together with parents rallying together to back upwardly the needs of others. The residuum of the twenty-four hr stream was spent working to salve flooded homes. Many homes were withal flooded together with couldn’t live tended to together with the bulk of Texans don't take away maintain overflowing insurance, which makes the province of affairs much worse. My neighbors together with I formed our ain footling cleanup crew. We were able to hitting 2 unlike locations. What was awesome to run across was how local cleanup crews from across the greater Houston community formed. Social media was existence used to organize together with dispatch teams to specific addresses. I fifty-fifty learned of a novel app called Zello that many were using to coordinate efforts. So many people took off piece of work together with fourth dimension away from their families to assistance people, many of which they didn’t fifty-fifty know. It was a humbling sense to run across many people occupation their privilege for good.
"Remember that the happiest people aren’t those getting more, but those giving more”. - H. Jackson BrownAs I proceed to write I cry, something I did quite oft all final week. My seat unit of measurement was relatively condom throughout this ordeal, but the devastation but a fleck southward of us broke, together with continues to break, my heart. The local intelligence showed non-stop devastation that was unfathomable. It also brought to lite the countless stories of heroism, bravery, human relationship building, service, empathy, together with unselfishness. Thankfully I was domicile for this ordeal. I piece of work amongst some incredible people at the International Center for Leadership inwards Education together with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Even though my flights to the Northeast were cancelled I wasn’t going anywhere fifty-fifty if they weren’t. I had the peace of hear to set piece of work together with move on the dorsum burner to live hither for my family. You can’t set a cost tag on that.
All calendar week I was bombarded amongst texts, calls, emails, together with social media posts from friends together with seat unit of measurement all over the world. People I barely know or didn’t fifty-fifty know at all took the fourth dimension to accomplish out. No i genuinely knew what nosotros were dealing amongst together with how bad the flooding was inwards my community. As I posted daily updates on my Facebook page to a greater extent than together with to a greater extent than people offered prayers together with support. Through it all everyone asked what they could do to assistance or wished they were inwards a seat to do more. The fact of the affair is if you lot made the endeavour together with took the fourth dimension to accomplish out to anyone impacted yesteryear this tempest together with hence you lot did all you lot could do.
My married adult woman together with I can't give thank you lot many of you lot plenty for all the thoughts together with prayers that were sent our way. The days since the tempest started take away maintain been excruciatingly long together with nerve-raking, but the messages of promise together with optimism helped us acquire through this fifty-fifty though the recovery endeavour has a long means to go. As all the messages of back upwardly flew inwards hence many people asked what they could do. My response was uncomplicated – “You’ve already done something but yesteryear showing you lot care.” Showing you lot aid for anyone hither inwards TX was all anyone could do from afar. One of humanity’s greatest gifts is empathy together with showing others compassion, no affair where you lot are.
It was refreshing inwards item to run across social media used for a greater operate other than but pushing out ideas, articles, thoughts, together with resources. I developed a greater appreciation (and at times cynicism if nosotros are existence honest) for how Twitter inwards item was used. When you lot await at life through a completely unlike lens you lot run across things that you lot never realized were correct inwards forepart of you. By putting work, personal issues, together with politics aside but for a few minutes many people rose to the occasion. They modeled the most enduring characteristics of humanity together with helped countless people (including me) acquire through this horrific ordeal. This mightiness live the most of import life lesson nosotros tin impart on our students together with proceed to larn ourselves.
Life is a gift. Together nosotros tin larn to improve appreciate this gift. We must occupation our diverse forms of privilege, including digital spaces, that many of us take away maintain non but during catastrophe’s similar this, but also inwards other cases when nosotros are compelled to do the correct thing. There is to a greater extent than LOVE hither than water. You can't become anywhere whatever non run across it. Love conquers all including whatever differences nosotros take away maintain that mightiness seem insurmountable. This is humanity’s gift.
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