After The Storm: An Anthology for Survivors

After my visit with Katrina survivor Betty Jefferson I knew I had to somehow pass her message on to the world. As an outlet to the overwhelming emotions that were flooding my soul, I also began writing letters to her in my journal. These journal entries were letters to a woman I had met one time, had no mailing address for, didn’t know if I would ever see again, and yet day after day I wrote to her. Betty became every survivor on the face of the earth. The result was this book....

MY PASSION FOR SURVIVORS

I remember exactly the moment it happen. I spied her across the room at the convention center where 500 Katrina evacuees were housed. At first I turned away but then felt strangely drawn back, and on an impulse suddenly took off towards her.

My friend Katie, scurrying to keep up asked, “What’s happening?” I muttered, “I don’t know,” and kept walking as if on a mission. My soul was vibrating, God was about to do something big.

That spur-of-the-moment decision ended one journey for me and began another. It was as if I had been traveling toward this destination all my life and having arrived I found myself on a precipice. The view was stunning, but it was a precipice. I had a choice: I could turn back, or jump.

I jumped.

When I landed, I was looking into the dark eyes of Betty Jefferson and every person who had ever survived a storm from hell and lived to tell the story, wrapped themselves around my heart. I was dazed by their strength, wisdom, fortitude. I fell head over heels, helplessly, overwhelmingly, unconditionally, passionately in love with survivors.

All of them.

After The Storm: An Anthology for Survivors

Friday, August 27, 2010

After The Storm: An Anthology for Survivors: An Excerpt from AFTER THE STORM: AN ANTHOLOGY FOR SURVIVORS

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