Happy November Butterflies!!!!!!! Today, I woke up with a heavy heart as I continue to watch the news about the disaster recovery of those areas recently affected by Hurricane Sandy.  As a Louisianan, I’ve certainly been through my share of storms in fact I got married during the most recent hurricane to hit the gulf coast, and let me tell you nothing is fun about having to evacuate the city in which you have planned to tie the knot in.  No matter how many natural disasters you go through it never seems to get any easier.  The effects that something so calm as water can have are truly devastating.  Despite Mother Nature’s periodic lack of empathy, the best thing left to do in cases like this is to rebuild, restore and hopefully become wiser as you learn how to persevere forward.

True Story: When Hurricane Katrina hit I was in college, and a friend of my Aunt (who at the time I’ve never met) wrote me a letter.

“ I hope you don’t mind, but I want to extend a small gift to you, one in which I hope you accept—to help you succeed in your first year of college”. She went on to say, “ I know we never met, but I’ve been through my share of storms and God was able to bring people into my life to help me overcome, and I want to return his favor.”  I was reluctant initially to accept her “gift” because I NEVER wanted people to start treating me like a “charity case”. I soon realized the error of my stubbornness could have blocked me from one of God’s blessings.  It’s certainly not everyday that a stranger sends you a monetary gift in the mail with no real strings attached, just because they care. Not to mention she continued to send me a letter every month during the duration of my freshmen year of college as her way to let me know that I was not alone. Her generosity came from a place of choice not force, and for that I am forever grateful.

Proverbs 11:24– One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.

From that point forward I learned a valuable lesson about what it means to give. I never could thank her enough for all she did, and made a pact that one day I would be able to give back to someone just as she did for me.

This year I plan to hold true to my promise, and decided to not only make my usual donation to Red Cross, but this time I would like to send a care package & prayerfully some hope with a fellow butterfly that has been affected by this recent storm. If you or someone you know has been devastated by Hurricane Sandy PLEASE email me your story and/or your needs at arriebutterfly@gmail.com with the Subject Line “Oh Sandy”, and I will try my best to make every reasonable effort to lend a helping hand.  

If you too are interested in learning ways to support the disaster relief of Hurricane Sandy, please visit www.redcross.org

Until we met on the Parkway again,

Alaina ♥