These powerful hurricanes have got me concerned. I was in Bogalusa, with my husband and mother, for Hurricane Katrina. I noticed that we were blessed in that storm, because the towering oak tree that would have bisected our house waited to fall until the wind shifted a little bit, and only clipped the house. Of course my car was crushed by another tree, and we spent the final, long minutes of Katrina’s passage with the rain falling in our dining room. In the end, all of our pecan trees and many of our other trees were toppled.

But it was great, in the aftermath, to see neighbor helping neighbor. I know John Gallaspy, and likely his son, Whit, cleared paths to give people access to streets and roadways.

And that reminds me that people are basically good, and will help anybody if they feel that they are able. It makes people feel good to lend a helping hand. And that brings Hurricane Harvey to mind. The first responders did their jobs, and they got a lot of help from folks like former Franklinton High School students Connor Ackerman and Ethan Pittman, and their friend Ashleigh Young, who took their particular skills to Texas to help wrangle livestock, and Chris Penton, of Milltown BBQ, who took his cooking skills to the neighboring state to feed the needy.

The Franklinton Fire Department, churches, and schools also took collections for the victims in both Texas and Louisiana. I would have liked to have gone with them to deliver the goods, and a big bunch of my love. I believe everybody has to get physical sometimes, and I really, really believe in heart-to-heart hugs!

So now, I want to thank all of the helpers, even the ones who were only doing their jobs. They picked those jobs to help others!

I believe that when we truly put ourselves out to help another person, animal, plant, or, even the whole earth, we are the most gifted by our actions, because we get filled up with all that love. And that feels so very good! It can even be addicting, but it’s not bad to be addicted to love. What could be better for the spirit?

So I say let’s all get addicted to love! We could comfort victims of all sorts, including ourselves, by teaching serene living, and by projecting our all-encompassing love!