Living Life as a Thank You by Nina Lesowitz

Author:Nina Lesowitz
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Viva Editions
Published: 2011-03-17T00:00:00+00:00

When Hurricane Ike hit the Houston area in September 2008, Ellen Delap could not believe it. Her son, Jake, his two young children, six weeks and three years old, and his wife, Meredith, rushed to her home to “hunker down” and ride out the storm. There, Ellen, her husband, J.Q., and the clan lay awake through the night listening to the wind and rain pelt their home.

When forceful winds took out the electricity in the early morning hours, Ellen’s husband and son sprang into action and started the generator. In a haze of sleepiness it occurred to her how thankful she was to have a generator. More grateful thoughts followed: How thankful that we are all together for this; how thankful I am for preparedness with batteries; how thankful to have an engineer husband who knows how to run a generator.

Ellen’s son and husband stood watch on and off throughout the night. How grateful I am for protectors of our family, she remembers thinking. The eye of the storm passed over at 5:30 A.M. with an eerie stillness. How grateful I am for no damage to our home. The day dawned with ferocious winds. How grateful I am for our granddaughter Eva to spend time with and to focus on her rather than the weather. The ferocious weather continued until the evening, when the storm had passed through. The family ventured outside to inspect the damage. How grateful that we have our fence standing. How grateful for what little damage.

In the wake of the storm, when families emerged to scope out the damage, an attitude of gratitude embraced the community. Families focused on relationships and people, not “stuff,” Ellen says. Family and friends gathered for shared meals, neighbors met neighbors they had never met before, and children rode bikes rather than cling to their disabled computers and video games.

“Many people realized they were grateful for this return to simplicity even after each community finally got their electricity again,” she says.

In the two weeks it took to get the power back, Ellen focused on thankfulness for the little things. “Were we ever grateful for the ability to turn on a hair dryer,” she recalls.

They were blessed in the little damage their home received. But more, Ellen and her family felt it was important to express their thankfulness by giving back and helping those less fortunate.

“This gratitude helped us help others who were not as fortunate,” she says. “We were able to add support to those most in need this way.”

These days, Ellen is committed to giving back to her community. She has helped organize two charities: Mothers Against Cancer, and a fundraising effort for Texas Children’s Hospital and Kingwood Women’s Club, a group that helps women in the northeastern area of Houston.

Now, Ellen says, “The power of gratitude in my life makes me be a happier ‘me’ each day. In tough times or everyday life, just by recognizing what is best in my life, I find more joy, more good, and I am a better person to myself and others.

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