I happened upon a list of 71 shelters opened in the Houston area, and the makeup of that list is remarkable to me. 27 churches, 22 schools, and 22 “other” (homeless/abuse shelters, VFW halls, Gallery Furniture, etc.)
From the largest facility (GRB, Lakewood) to the smallest neighborhood church or women’s shelter, this mix is, I believe, emblematic of the spirit of America, and of the spirit of Texas. It’s embodied not in separation, but in collaboration and cooperation. We prosper because we want our neighbor to prosper. We want the same health and happiness for them as we want for ourselves. We want to survive the storm, and we want our neighbor to survive the storm. We rebuild — together.
We might spit and fight like cats and dogs on political and economic matters, but when a neighbor needs help, Americans step up, and many step out in faith. There is no skin color, there is no religion, there is no socioeconomic status, there is no sociopolitical bent that separates us as citizens of the United States of America.
God bless Texas. God bless America!
Harvey: Working together for the common good