I’m currently fretting about how much laundry I have to do before my husband and I set out for a much anticipated mini-vacation to Door County, Wisconsin for this Labor Day Weekend. I am still unsure what outfits I am going to bring. There are dirty dishes piled in the sink. My husband is getting over being sick. I have a lot of work to finish up at my office before we leave later this evening.

Yet, how incredibly blessed am I? 

Right now, I am over here worrying about trying to condense the amount of shoes I want to bring this weekend without Bryan’s not-so-silent judgement, yet there are 93,942 families whose homes have been destroyed by Hurricane Harvey in Houston and the surrounding areas the last few days. These residents are worrying where they are going to find food, clean water, dry clothing, or worse- their loved ones. I can’t even imagine the sadness and fear they are experiencing. It’s an understatement to say that my heart is broken for these people. However, it’s also an understatement to say how full my heart is when I hear stories of the groups of people that have rallied to help out in Houston physically and financially. Unfortunately we live in a time where it’s unusual to turn on the television or scroll through our Twitter feeds and hear about people from all different backgrounds going to distance to help each other. There has been a lot of light in a disaster so dark. 

News crews have stopped rolling in the middle of broadcasts to form human chains in order to rescue someone who may not have made it otherwise.  An entire building of people stayed behind to make sure their neighbor who was pregnant and in labor, got out safely. Countless people have rescued stray animals (I saw a man carrying a couple pigs to safety!). Celebrities and athletes are donating large sums of money and setting up their own foundations (Houston Texans JJ Watt has raised over $10 Million alone for the Harvey Relief). MillerCoors has stopped canning beer and is canning water to send down to Houston. McDonald’s donated $1 Million today. Last night, my very own Indiana Hoosiers are wearing ‘Houston Strong’ stickers on their helmets during their season opener.

If you do not live within the city limits or anywhere where it’s remotely accessible to get to a recovery shelter, it’s easy to feel helpless. With that said, there are endless ways you can help from anywhere in the world. Local hospitals are in desperate need of blood donations and you can visit the American Red Cross website to find a blood donation center near you. If you’ve turned on your television or cell phone in the last few days, you have probably noticed that there are just about a million charities you can donate to in order to aid in the relief. While driving to work earlier this week, I heard about a website called Charity Navigator. This is an easy way to search for various foundations and charities to donate to, how they use their contributions, and a real time ticker that shows where people are donating minute by minute. The website makes it easy to search for organizations you’d like to support and add them to your ‘giving basket’ so that you can easily decide how much you would like to contribute to each of your selections. I chose to donate to both the Houston Food Bank and the Houston SPCA. Even something so simple as using the hashtag #HoustonStrong on social media is a small but powerful act to show your support

I highly encourage you to support the relief aid in any way you are able, even if that’s spending some time browsing the internet for the stories of the heroes that have saved numerous lives or aided in the the relief in a big way. As I leave to spend a few days away with my husband, I will be thinking of everyone effected by Harvey. I hope that everyone has a happy and safe Labor Day Weekend.