This week our part of the world (Southeast Texas) went through a life altering crisis/opportunity. We had a huge hurricane (Ike was his name) sweep into our gulf and take with him power, homes, phones, Internet, and peoples' livelihood. As you can imagine, we are now all struggling to make sense of it and reestablish structure. This presents difficult challenges, but also provides us with a huge opportunity.

How do we want to go forward? How do we deal with the present (some of our neighbors lost everything, many have no power, and the media predicts a difficult four more weeks of recovery)? I think the opportunity lies in what we can give to each other. How do we take the focus off of ourselves and give it to everyone else? We know that when people feel loved and cared for they adjust better to the present circumstance.

Here are some ideas of what "survivors" have in common

1) Survivors have friends and family who will stand by them and give them a sense of hope. (If you know of someone who is downhearted remind them that you are here with them and not going anywhere).

2) Survivors do not deceive themselves. They realistically understand what they lost and what this loss means to them. (If you are contacted to help someone deal with the crisis, don't sugarcoat it. Help them by listening and validating what they are feeling).

3) Survivors learn to forgive themselves for their mistakes and for surviving. (If you are the only home who has a home standing...it is okay to be thankful. It is also an opportunity for you to share your shelter with others' who lost theirs).

4) Survivors learn to accept their own good qualities. (It is okay to be proud of what you are doing for others at a time like this. Just make sure you "walk the walk as well as talk the talk"). Survivors continue to give themselves a reason to carry on. (We all need a reason to live. If you are a survivor you may need to remind another person what their living means to you).

We are all in this together. It is in each other we find our reason to carry on and in each other the mirror that reflects back to us who and what we stand for.