Mary was maybe the most positive person our team met in Houston. And we met a lot of positive people.
When the flood came, she and her family had to walk a long way to dry land. But Mary uses a walker – “I didn’t think I was going to make it.” She had nightmares for days afterward and wasn’t sure they would ever stop. She prayed to God that the trauma would go away.
Mary has kept an amazing attitude through it all, and she’s even viewing Harvey as a sort of blessing. “Harvey could be a good thing – health wise for me. I had to push myself. I’m active and moving around more. I’m doing things I didn’t think I could do.”
We were inspired by Mary’s attitude, and we wanted to meet her positivity with more positivity. Mary’s house in northeast Houston is actually further along in the rebuilding process than most. It’s been mucked and gutted, sanitized and is currently being rebuilt by a small team of volunteers who came down from Tennessee to help. Talking about her house, she said, “I’m trying to hold on to what my mom and dad created here,” and she feels so blessed by all the groups and individuals who are helping her do that.
When we asked Mary how we could help, she said she needed carpet. But because the drywall wasn’t finished yet, we couldn’t buy the carpet – there was nowhere to store it. So we did the next best thing.
We bought Mary all the tools her family would need to install carpet – carpet glue, transition strips, a carpet cutter, and a forming/flattening tool. And then we gave her a $400 Home Depot gift card that she could use to purchase the carpet when the time was right and a catalog to make her selection (she picked beige with a gold transition strip!).
The little things add up. Everything that different people and groups have done to help Mary has put her on the path to recovery. And experiencing the abundance of support and help from complete strangers has certainly strengthened Mary’s belief and positive outlook on life, so soon after trauma.
